What started out as a story that would be posted once a week... would be
three-four chapters typed ahead of every post... has now become post every
couple of days... and I'm 6 chapters ahead of every post... something's not
right. Expect things to even out over the next week when school and
homework starts kicking in... I am after all in my (supposedly) last year
of high school... so work load is rough... somewhat.
(Wow, 8 reviews in 8 hours... I think you are all deserving of another chapter)
Title: Jaded
Series: Naruto
Rating: PG-13 (Will go higher later on)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Humour, Horror, Tragedy, Supernatural, Fantasy, etc. (pretty much all)
Summary: For most of his life, Naruto has had one dream (becoming Hokage) and one love (Sakura), but as he grows up he realises not everything is as easy as he wants to believe it is, and his romances are not as simple as getting the girl, but finding a love that's not bound by superficial reasons, and that's when he realizes he had his priorities mixed up all along. (Eventually it'll be SasuNaru)
Pairings: (This is a list of EVERY possible pairing in this whole fic... cept the one's I forget) SasuNaru and NaruSasu (I like em both so they're both in it)... a little later on... SakuNaru, HinaNaru, OroNaru, GaaSasu (even if it's faked on both parts), KakaIru, LeeSaku, ano... JiOro, one- sided SakuSasu, ItaKisa, a little ShikaCho (but I'm willing to make it ShikaIno depending on who wants what... this is the one coupling that's not yet decided) and if someone shows any interest in them, HinaNeji (cause he needs to make it up to her)
Also there's a part where Naruto er... ... thinks about something Sasuke says and those pairings are NaruShino, NaruShika and NaruSasu but of course he nearly gags at the first two. ^-^
Chapter Title: 13. Another Naruto Distraction
When the two boys returned to the Uchiha house, everyone sighed in relief to see them back safely, but none were as happy as Sakura. As soon as they had opened the door, she was latched on to Sasuke's arm like a leech. Naruto chuckled softly, while Sasuke growled and narrowed his eyes but couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"SASUKE-KUN! You're okay!" She exclaimed, pulling the boy inside. "Shikamaru-kun was being annoying!" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the boy who was standing motionless in the middle of the floor.
"Why?" He asked the Chuunin. Sakura didn't notice he hadn't said a word to her and answered for him.
"He was pacing like a caged animal!" Shikamaru shrugged and continued pacing. "He said he was trying to think of a plan to get rid of Orochimaru's army, but there are too many ninjas that we might not know about."
"Hai!" The boy exclaimed before frowning. "Never mind. It'll never work."
Naruto sat down on a chair beside the door and yawned tiredly, while Iruka peeked out the window beside him.
"They're patrolling again, but I don't think they're as concerned about Naruto as they are about getting Sasuke." He muttered. Jiraiya stood up suddenly.
"We need a plan right now!!" He yelled. "We need to get close enough to Orochimaru-kun to be able to kill him." He turned to Iruka. "His arms are still burned pretty badly, ne?" He asked. Iruka nodded after thinking about it for a couple of seconds. "Well then, we know how to get close to him. He can only switch bodies with someone who has the curse, and past that he can't do any jutsu so we have an advantage. All we need to think of is how to get close to him. Me and Naruto can take it from there." He looked over to the blond, but Naruto was peering through the blinds.
"We have a slight problem here." He muttered, shutting the blinds tightly and pressing himself up against the wall. "We have company." He added, which was followed by a loud knocking on the door.
Everyone stopped where they were and looked at Naruto pleadingly. Iruka began quietly ushering the younger shinobi into hiding spots while the rest tensed for an attack. Kakashi tried to quietly push Sasuke into a hiding spot, too but he was stubborn and refused to move. Naruto saw this and frowned.
"Open up, or we'll destroy the house!" A deep voice demanded from outside. Naruto flinched and decided to do some quick thinking jutsu. There was no way he'd let them get caught so quickly. He turned his back on the others and made the seals with his hands, hidden from everyone who might try and stop him. There was a loud pop and a cloud of smoke when Naruto opened the door.
"We're looking for Uchiha Sasuke!" The man stated, waving the smoke out of his face. "YOU!" He exclaimed pointing to the person who opened the door.
Sasuke's face greeted him, looking grim before suddenly turning behind himself and looking at the bewildered REAL Sasuke.
"DOBE!" He yelled. "Why did you perform such an obvious decoy! These ninjas aren't idiots like you!" The men looked from Sasuke to Naruto in confusion before jumping on the one closest to them and dragging him out of the house kicking and screaming. The door slammed behind them and everyone came out of their hiding spots, watching the entrance in awe.
"What the hell was that?" Jiraiya asked, stunned. Sasuke fell to his knees in shock.
"That stupid idiot did it." He whispered.
"Nani?" Sakura asked, no one understood what had just happened.
"Sakura, Kakashi, do you two remember when we were on our way to the Mist country with Tazuna?" He asked. They both nodded. "You remember when we were attacked by the Demon Brothers and Naruto froze while we defended ourselves?" They nodded again and it dawned on Kakashi.
"He swore he wouldn't freeze up again. He did that quick-thinking jutsu while we just stood here, freezing up." Sasuke nodded solemnly.
"Well at least now we have a bit more time to plan how to keep you safe, especially if they think he's you." Shikamaru spoke up earning himself a glare from the owner of the Uchiha house.
"While you sat on your ass behind my couch, Naruto's saved my life for the second time today. He needs our help now, more than I do. If you hadn't noticed, I'm not the one who needs to be kept safe." Sasuke snarled, jumping up, ready to fight the other boy. Iruka placed a calming hand on Sasuke's shoulder but nodded his head in agreement. So did Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"We need to start planning how to save Naruto now. Orochimaru isn't going to be the happiest little bunny when he figures out the idiot tricked his men again. Naruto is in a lot of danger." Shikamaru nodded.
"Plus he's probably still a little resentful that Naruto was able to talk Sasuke into coming back with us. First thing we need to do is find out what Naruto-kun's location is." Kakashi nodded, and the adults and Shikamaru (with Choji standing behind him, watching his best friend in action) began to plot out ways to get the blond back. Sasuke stood behind Kakashi's chair for a few moments before he realised he wasn't any use to them for strategising.
He looked over to where the genins were sitting, beside a small fire, talking amongst themselves of the newest developments and secrets that they had just learned. He could tell that he wasn't needed in either group, not that he had any real desire to be with them in the first place. Not while his mind was stuck on Orochimaru's prisoner. He walked quietly up the stairs to the roof and watched as the sun began to set on his sixteenth birthday. His mind, however, was far from anything birthday related, and only one thought went through his mind as the stars began to sparkle in the dying light. What was happening to Naruto?
***
Naruto was sitting against a wall in the Hokage Tower with his hands chained to the wall just above his head. His jutsu had worn off, not too long ago and he'd been chained up until Orochimaru came to deal with him personally. A couple of the solders took turns beating him up for not only deceiving them but putting their lives in danger for failing Orochimaru. He heard the creaking of an open door, but was in too much pain to lift his head to see who it was. Most likely, he'd find out sooner or later as they'd take their own anger out on him.
"Why do you insist on protecting Sasuke-san from me?" An oily voice hissed at him. He cringed, knowing who it was before cursing himself as pain shot through his head at the movement. "I do believe this is the fourth time you've done this." Ignoring the pain, Naruto brought his head up to glare half-heartedly at the Sound ninja.
"If you tell me where he is, I'll promise the pain will stop." The blond narrowed his eyes even further before spitting in Orochimaru's eye. The other shinobi muffled their surprised gasps.
"You wouldn't understand." He growled letting his head hang to ease the pain. Orochimaru stopped his chin from resting on his chest and with his long delicate fingers, brought Naruto's face up to look him in the eye.
"I like your strong spirit, Naruto-kun." He whispered softly. "It's wild and untamed, even without the Kitsune, but you are nothing but an ant compared to Sasuke-san." Naruto snapped his teeth down, angrily, in an effort to bite the man.
"I can do anything Sasuke can." He snapped back, knowing that was the wrong thing to say, but found he needed to say it and defend himself. "I can handle anything Sasuke can and more." He felt a shiver run down his spine as Orochimaru smiled.
"Is that true? Well, then, we're just going to have to see if that's so. Do you think you can handle my inquisition?" He asked, signalling for the soldiers behind him to leave them in privacy. They all rushed out as quickly as they could. "Or will you break under pressure and beg for mercy. I'm not quite sure, but I like the idea of both possibilities." He grinned slyly and began his torture of Naruto, ignoring the cries of pain and terror, and the tears that fell despite Naruto's best efforts to keep them back. It was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~~
Well now. Orochimaru has Naruto, and the all-dreaded chapter 14 is coming up next. I wonder what it was that I've done to my poor widdle Naru-chan. Well, no not me in particular, but I'm sure you do. Want a preview?
Chapter Title: 14. Down the Hall
"Shikamaru!" Sasuke hissed under his breath as they hurried along the hallway, crouched over. The chuunin looked over his shoulder and frowned.
"Nani desu ka?" He asked, slightly irritated.
"We've nearly finished searching every room, including most of the guarded rooms. Where the hell is he?"
"If I knew that I wouldn't have dragged you through all of the ones before." Shikamaru snapped back, making sure to keep his voice down. They had almost gotten caught once before with one of their arguments. Sasuke snorted at the boy's sarcasm but held his tongue as the stopped outside yet another room. It was the Hokage's bedchambers.
"Do you think we should go in there?" Shikamaru asked hesitantly. "Orochimaru might be occupying that room." Sasuke pushed past him.
"Did you really forget that Tsunade and Jiraiya have pinpointed Orochimaru at the top of the tower? You stay here and keep a look-out, I'll go in and see if Naruto's there." He slowly pushed open the doors and walked in, one hand on his kunai holster just in case.
***MUAH! Don't you just hate me now? Well, probably not, but I know one person at least who keeps calling me "MEANIE-HEAD" every time I tell her my plans for Naruto. ^-^ But its fun torturing characters! Trust me, it is. You should try it some time.
Ja ne!
Okay, maybe I should take a break from posting... just for a couple of days... I'm only up to 18 and I want to type up a bunch more chapters so that later I can relax and just post for a while... ya know it takes a lot to keep posting so quickly... trust me when I say I have no idea where the heck it's all coming from.
Oh, and JIRO!!! You have no idea how big my smile was when I read your review. I hadn't even been thinking of making it like the manga... it's just a movie in my head and I type it as I see it happening. ^-^ I'm glad you all like it...
Okay, a couple of days means... THURSDAY!
(BTW... sorry to all you, but the graphic scene... which I've chosen to leave out... wouldn't have been SasuNaru... it would have been a lot more violent... and included less clothing but a lot of blood and matted golden- blond hair. I'll let you figure out what I've done in chapter 14...)
(Wow, 8 reviews in 8 hours... I think you are all deserving of another chapter)
Title: Jaded
Series: Naruto
Rating: PG-13 (Will go higher later on)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Humour, Horror, Tragedy, Supernatural, Fantasy, etc. (pretty much all)
Summary: For most of his life, Naruto has had one dream (becoming Hokage) and one love (Sakura), but as he grows up he realises not everything is as easy as he wants to believe it is, and his romances are not as simple as getting the girl, but finding a love that's not bound by superficial reasons, and that's when he realizes he had his priorities mixed up all along. (Eventually it'll be SasuNaru)
Pairings: (This is a list of EVERY possible pairing in this whole fic... cept the one's I forget) SasuNaru and NaruSasu (I like em both so they're both in it)... a little later on... SakuNaru, HinaNaru, OroNaru, GaaSasu (even if it's faked on both parts), KakaIru, LeeSaku, ano... JiOro, one- sided SakuSasu, ItaKisa, a little ShikaCho (but I'm willing to make it ShikaIno depending on who wants what... this is the one coupling that's not yet decided) and if someone shows any interest in them, HinaNeji (cause he needs to make it up to her)
Also there's a part where Naruto er... ... thinks about something Sasuke says and those pairings are NaruShino, NaruShika and NaruSasu but of course he nearly gags at the first two. ^-^
Chapter Title: 13. Another Naruto Distraction
When the two boys returned to the Uchiha house, everyone sighed in relief to see them back safely, but none were as happy as Sakura. As soon as they had opened the door, she was latched on to Sasuke's arm like a leech. Naruto chuckled softly, while Sasuke growled and narrowed his eyes but couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"SASUKE-KUN! You're okay!" She exclaimed, pulling the boy inside. "Shikamaru-kun was being annoying!" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the boy who was standing motionless in the middle of the floor.
"Why?" He asked the Chuunin. Sakura didn't notice he hadn't said a word to her and answered for him.
"He was pacing like a caged animal!" Shikamaru shrugged and continued pacing. "He said he was trying to think of a plan to get rid of Orochimaru's army, but there are too many ninjas that we might not know about."
"Hai!" The boy exclaimed before frowning. "Never mind. It'll never work."
Naruto sat down on a chair beside the door and yawned tiredly, while Iruka peeked out the window beside him.
"They're patrolling again, but I don't think they're as concerned about Naruto as they are about getting Sasuke." He muttered. Jiraiya stood up suddenly.
"We need a plan right now!!" He yelled. "We need to get close enough to Orochimaru-kun to be able to kill him." He turned to Iruka. "His arms are still burned pretty badly, ne?" He asked. Iruka nodded after thinking about it for a couple of seconds. "Well then, we know how to get close to him. He can only switch bodies with someone who has the curse, and past that he can't do any jutsu so we have an advantage. All we need to think of is how to get close to him. Me and Naruto can take it from there." He looked over to the blond, but Naruto was peering through the blinds.
"We have a slight problem here." He muttered, shutting the blinds tightly and pressing himself up against the wall. "We have company." He added, which was followed by a loud knocking on the door.
Everyone stopped where they were and looked at Naruto pleadingly. Iruka began quietly ushering the younger shinobi into hiding spots while the rest tensed for an attack. Kakashi tried to quietly push Sasuke into a hiding spot, too but he was stubborn and refused to move. Naruto saw this and frowned.
"Open up, or we'll destroy the house!" A deep voice demanded from outside. Naruto flinched and decided to do some quick thinking jutsu. There was no way he'd let them get caught so quickly. He turned his back on the others and made the seals with his hands, hidden from everyone who might try and stop him. There was a loud pop and a cloud of smoke when Naruto opened the door.
"We're looking for Uchiha Sasuke!" The man stated, waving the smoke out of his face. "YOU!" He exclaimed pointing to the person who opened the door.
Sasuke's face greeted him, looking grim before suddenly turning behind himself and looking at the bewildered REAL Sasuke.
"DOBE!" He yelled. "Why did you perform such an obvious decoy! These ninjas aren't idiots like you!" The men looked from Sasuke to Naruto in confusion before jumping on the one closest to them and dragging him out of the house kicking and screaming. The door slammed behind them and everyone came out of their hiding spots, watching the entrance in awe.
"What the hell was that?" Jiraiya asked, stunned. Sasuke fell to his knees in shock.
"That stupid idiot did it." He whispered.
"Nani?" Sakura asked, no one understood what had just happened.
"Sakura, Kakashi, do you two remember when we were on our way to the Mist country with Tazuna?" He asked. They both nodded. "You remember when we were attacked by the Demon Brothers and Naruto froze while we defended ourselves?" They nodded again and it dawned on Kakashi.
"He swore he wouldn't freeze up again. He did that quick-thinking jutsu while we just stood here, freezing up." Sasuke nodded solemnly.
"Well at least now we have a bit more time to plan how to keep you safe, especially if they think he's you." Shikamaru spoke up earning himself a glare from the owner of the Uchiha house.
"While you sat on your ass behind my couch, Naruto's saved my life for the second time today. He needs our help now, more than I do. If you hadn't noticed, I'm not the one who needs to be kept safe." Sasuke snarled, jumping up, ready to fight the other boy. Iruka placed a calming hand on Sasuke's shoulder but nodded his head in agreement. So did Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"We need to start planning how to save Naruto now. Orochimaru isn't going to be the happiest little bunny when he figures out the idiot tricked his men again. Naruto is in a lot of danger." Shikamaru nodded.
"Plus he's probably still a little resentful that Naruto was able to talk Sasuke into coming back with us. First thing we need to do is find out what Naruto-kun's location is." Kakashi nodded, and the adults and Shikamaru (with Choji standing behind him, watching his best friend in action) began to plot out ways to get the blond back. Sasuke stood behind Kakashi's chair for a few moments before he realised he wasn't any use to them for strategising.
He looked over to where the genins were sitting, beside a small fire, talking amongst themselves of the newest developments and secrets that they had just learned. He could tell that he wasn't needed in either group, not that he had any real desire to be with them in the first place. Not while his mind was stuck on Orochimaru's prisoner. He walked quietly up the stairs to the roof and watched as the sun began to set on his sixteenth birthday. His mind, however, was far from anything birthday related, and only one thought went through his mind as the stars began to sparkle in the dying light. What was happening to Naruto?
***
Naruto was sitting against a wall in the Hokage Tower with his hands chained to the wall just above his head. His jutsu had worn off, not too long ago and he'd been chained up until Orochimaru came to deal with him personally. A couple of the solders took turns beating him up for not only deceiving them but putting their lives in danger for failing Orochimaru. He heard the creaking of an open door, but was in too much pain to lift his head to see who it was. Most likely, he'd find out sooner or later as they'd take their own anger out on him.
"Why do you insist on protecting Sasuke-san from me?" An oily voice hissed at him. He cringed, knowing who it was before cursing himself as pain shot through his head at the movement. "I do believe this is the fourth time you've done this." Ignoring the pain, Naruto brought his head up to glare half-heartedly at the Sound ninja.
"If you tell me where he is, I'll promise the pain will stop." The blond narrowed his eyes even further before spitting in Orochimaru's eye. The other shinobi muffled their surprised gasps.
"You wouldn't understand." He growled letting his head hang to ease the pain. Orochimaru stopped his chin from resting on his chest and with his long delicate fingers, brought Naruto's face up to look him in the eye.
"I like your strong spirit, Naruto-kun." He whispered softly. "It's wild and untamed, even without the Kitsune, but you are nothing but an ant compared to Sasuke-san." Naruto snapped his teeth down, angrily, in an effort to bite the man.
"I can do anything Sasuke can." He snapped back, knowing that was the wrong thing to say, but found he needed to say it and defend himself. "I can handle anything Sasuke can and more." He felt a shiver run down his spine as Orochimaru smiled.
"Is that true? Well, then, we're just going to have to see if that's so. Do you think you can handle my inquisition?" He asked, signalling for the soldiers behind him to leave them in privacy. They all rushed out as quickly as they could. "Or will you break under pressure and beg for mercy. I'm not quite sure, but I like the idea of both possibilities." He grinned slyly and began his torture of Naruto, ignoring the cries of pain and terror, and the tears that fell despite Naruto's best efforts to keep them back. It was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~~
Well now. Orochimaru has Naruto, and the all-dreaded chapter 14 is coming up next. I wonder what it was that I've done to my poor widdle Naru-chan. Well, no not me in particular, but I'm sure you do. Want a preview?
Chapter Title: 14. Down the Hall
"Shikamaru!" Sasuke hissed under his breath as they hurried along the hallway, crouched over. The chuunin looked over his shoulder and frowned.
"Nani desu ka?" He asked, slightly irritated.
"We've nearly finished searching every room, including most of the guarded rooms. Where the hell is he?"
"If I knew that I wouldn't have dragged you through all of the ones before." Shikamaru snapped back, making sure to keep his voice down. They had almost gotten caught once before with one of their arguments. Sasuke snorted at the boy's sarcasm but held his tongue as the stopped outside yet another room. It was the Hokage's bedchambers.
"Do you think we should go in there?" Shikamaru asked hesitantly. "Orochimaru might be occupying that room." Sasuke pushed past him.
"Did you really forget that Tsunade and Jiraiya have pinpointed Orochimaru at the top of the tower? You stay here and keep a look-out, I'll go in and see if Naruto's there." He slowly pushed open the doors and walked in, one hand on his kunai holster just in case.
***MUAH! Don't you just hate me now? Well, probably not, but I know one person at least who keeps calling me "MEANIE-HEAD" every time I tell her my plans for Naruto. ^-^ But its fun torturing characters! Trust me, it is. You should try it some time.
Ja ne!
Okay, maybe I should take a break from posting... just for a couple of days... I'm only up to 18 and I want to type up a bunch more chapters so that later I can relax and just post for a while... ya know it takes a lot to keep posting so quickly... trust me when I say I have no idea where the heck it's all coming from.
Oh, and JIRO!!! You have no idea how big my smile was when I read your review. I hadn't even been thinking of making it like the manga... it's just a movie in my head and I type it as I see it happening. ^-^ I'm glad you all like it...
Okay, a couple of days means... THURSDAY!
(BTW... sorry to all you, but the graphic scene... which I've chosen to leave out... wouldn't have been SasuNaru... it would have been a lot more violent... and included less clothing but a lot of blood and matted golden- blond hair. I'll let you figure out what I've done in chapter 14...)