Yes, I know I took two weeks for this, but I've been very busy with my
school's production of Footloose. It's over now so I get to worry about
Anime North now... To the two people who reviewed and said they were going,
Teki Star and Anatra Desylvianno, YAY! I'm going with a bunch of my friends
as Ino. We're doing a Naruto group cosplay! We have an Ino (ME!!), Neji,
TenTen, Anko, Shino, Hinata (I think), The Trio (being TenTen and Anko's
lil brothers and a friend of theirs) and maybe a Kurenai. I'm going for all
three days, and you can bet I'm going to drag everyone over to the major
group cosplay photo op if they do that again. Come and say hi to me if you
see me. My tag should say 'Bad Luck' on it. (Cheers for Gai... watch out... I
may glomp you)
Wow... I got my two longest reviews EVER! La/=/er and AkaNoShika. You both made my day. I didn't want this to be some PWP with cheap romance. I want it to be as close to real as it can get. There's no way you'd get Sasuke to admit his undying affection on the first try, no matter how he thinks he can read Naruto. He's still slightly protective of his feelings. You can't blame him.
I'm surprised at how many people put in their input on what they thought Naruto's "Room of the Dead" was. I hadn't even thought about Naruto keeping records of his parents...it's an interesting idea, but as of yet, no one has even mentioned his parents to him yet. There is one person who got the 'room' almost exactly, but I can't say who. You'll just have to see what happens. All I can say is that 99% of that review's ideas are right. It's quite scary, actually.
Answers to other questions are at the end. Read on.
Chapter Title: 42. Chained
If Sasuke had been able to move away from the wall far enough, he would have found himself pacing back and forth. As it was, he could do nothing more than sit on the old futon and wait for the armed guards to come in every couple of hours and either feed him or allow him to use the bathroom. Never, in all his life, did he feel so utterly humiliated before. The walls of his cell weren't padded, that he could tell, but with the gloves over his fingers and the glasses over his eyes he could neither feel nor see where he was. The feeling of helplessness washed over him every so often, only heightened by the fact that his hands had to be chained to the wall, limiting his movements, and he couldn't help but panic as nightmarish thoughts of the blond ran through his mind.
Naruto had been keeping track of the Kitsune's every movement for a while, and he had no doubt that the edge of Fire was where the Kitsune had been spotted last. But without someone to repair the seal on his body, his rival wouldn't last long fighting against the demon. He was getting desperate, being in the cell for nearly twenty-four hours straight, until he received a visitor.
He'd been visited a couple of times that day by Kakashi who refused to apologize and to make sure Sasuke knew he was there, keeping him company, he read a couple of passages from his book, Icha Icha Paradaisu. Sasuke was surprised to hear about the book and had assumed Kakashi had outgrown the old habit of reading the dirty book. He also learned (much to his chagrin) that the novel wasn't quite as dirty as he'd previously thought. There was some form of a plot, but it still had its many smutty bits, which Kakashi thankfully censored, claiming he was 'too young to appreciate the fine beauty in the details of the art of story-telling'. Kakashi soon got bored with Sasuke's lack of response to his remarks and left him alone after that.
Sakura also visited him for a few seconds, but the sight of Sasuke bound up like a criminal was more than she could handle at the time and she'd run out of the building stifling her sniffles.
And so he was left alone for quite a while until he was alerted to company by the shuffling of feet.
"Open this door immediately!" A strong woman's voice demanded.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but the doctor has ordered us to keep Uchiha-san locked up. He's insane. Not even you can get him out of here unless we're under attack." Tsunade sighed and went up to the bars, not giving up yet. The sight of the blind and angry boy in front of her brought tears to her eyes, remembering how he'd seemed so full of life just the day before.
"Remove those glasses and gloves." She commanded, but was once again denied. It bewildered her that her powers only went so far. She took small tentative steps closer to the bars and wrapped her fingers around the sturdy, cold metal tightly.
"Sasuke." She whispered softly. He nodded his head curtly to show he'd hurt her and began coughing roughly. It was obvious to the Hokage that he hadn't had a drink in a while and he hadn't said a word since he had been locked up.
"They don't believe me, Hokage." He replied when he was able. "But I don't need people to believe me. I need someone to just help." She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her.
"What can I do?" She asked.
(Star)(Star)(Star)(Makeshift for now till ff.n fixes it)
Half an hour later, Tsunade found herself wandering towards the edge of the village on the back of her summoned snail. She's quickly placed a reluctant Jiraiya in charge of the village and ran out of the front gates before anyone could stop her. She couldn't allow herself to linger too long outside of the village, or else risk not only Sasuke's safety in Konoha, but her own return as well. Not too many people would be too pleased to hear that the ruler of their village had gone on a wild goose chase, based on the information of an insane sixteen and a half year old genin.
The storm that had brewed overnight had left behind a layer of soft white snow and clear blue skies, and she smiled, despite her chilled skin.
It took nearly three hours for her to reach the edge of the country, and in the distance she could see the looming red chakra of the Kitsune, levelling buildings and vegetation alike. Her snail nodded its head and disappeared in a soft poof, letting her tumble down the rest of the way into the snow.
"Ten yen says I don't make it out of here without at least a minor case of frostbite." She mumbled to herself, rubbing her clothed arms futilely. She didn't get to worry too hard on her state of temperature when the distant roars sounded nearer than she could imagine. It appeared that the Kitsune was on a wild rampage and whoever had tried to release him had failed to control the power. Pausing to think for a second, she realised that maybe the Kitsune wasn't just some dumb beast that wanted to destroy. If what Sasuke had said was true, then Naruto's body would be limiting the full extent of the demon's powers. Even the fox knew how much the poor body could handle.
The nearing of the fox demon meant only one other thing to her that mattered. Naruto would be nearby.
"Naruto?" She called out softly, wondering who would hear her first, the boy or his body. "Naruto?!" She repeated it several times, walking towards the tremors and crashes until a timid voice answered her calls, confirming her firm belief in Sasuke.
"Tsunade-baba?"
"Naruto?!" She cried in surprise, spinning around before remembering that he didn't have a body. It took all her control not to break down and sob. The boy that was almost like a little brother to her was still alive. "Daijoubu ka?" She asked.
"Aa, daijoubu." He replied.
"Where are you?" A small shove and an imprint told her the boy was standing right beside her. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." He replied, impatiently. "Where's Sasuke? How did you know where I was? Where's Sasuke?" Tsunade hesitated in her reply.
"Uchiha Sasuke has been arrested and placed under the protection of an armed Anbu guard as well as several doctors. I knew where you were, because he told me how to find you so that I may help you in his place." Naruto seemed to forget all about the approaching demon as his thoughts all turned to his rival.
"What the hell happened?! Is he alright? What does he need doctors for?" The questions came at her quickly.
"Stop!" She held out her hands defensively. "Sasuke went to Kakashi and Sakura and they didn't believe in his claims. They, logically, thought that he was hallucinating. That, in his grief, his mind had conjured you up to console him. They had him arrested for his own safety as well as the safety of everyone else. He is alright, however I don't think he particularly likes being senseless and blind all in one go."
"They... they think he's insane?" He whispered. "When I get back there, I'm going to give Sakura and Kakashi a piece of my mind. They won't get away with this." His anger subsided momentarily. "He was right. I should have visited other people."
"Why didn't you?"
"I enjoyed his company." The reply was quick, needing no thought. "He thought he was going crazy too for a moment and I thought that if I left him and wasn't there to answer his questions he would start to believe it. I'm so selfish."
"How could you think that? You were just saying you did it for Sasuke."
"Sure, but I left him just so I could get my body back. I'm the reason he's in there."
"Stop being so melodramatic!" Tsunade snapped, almost wishing she could smack the boy across the cheek. "Why don't we just fix this so you can go back and fix everything?" Naruto stopped his self-pitying and they were both alerted to the ear-splitting wails of the Kitsune, tearing a path straight for them.
"Naruto, what's wrong with him?" She asked suddenly.
"He is trying to use all of his powers as if it was his old body." He softly replied. "It's really hurting the body. He can't last long on his own, and neither can I."
"Right. What can I do to help you?" Tsunade asked, raising her hands to perform any seal she needed.
"Just keep him still for a few seconds. Did Sasuke tell you about repairing the seal?"
"Yeah! That's the reason he sent me in his place. I'm probably the only person in the village, save Jiraiya, who was strong enough to repair it."
"Good, then. Give me five seconds to get back in before you perform the seal."
"Right." And despite the seriousness of the situation, she snickered to herself at the idea of the most powerful ninja in the whole village taking orders from a sixteen-year-old punk.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"Don't just stand there, you idiot! Do something about him!!"
"I'm trying Itachi-sama, but I'm not strong enough to tame even that demon." Itachi and the woman were desperately following in the path of the demon's destruction, hoping to figure something out that would slow the fox down long enough for them to capture him. They'd thought they had an agreement with the Kyuubi, but getting rid of Naruto's soul didn't work too well with the Kitsune. He needed complete freedom from the youthful body or none at all.
"Must I do everything myself?" He asked, rhetorically. She went to reply, but was cut off by a wave of Itachi's hand. He raised his Sharingan eyes to the swell of chakra and began performing the required hand seals, only to be pulled out of the trance by Kisame, his partner.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Uchiha?" He asked, tauntingly. A whip-like tail of chakra had landed in the exact place Itachi had been seconds before, demolishing the surrounding landscape in the resulting shockwave. Both Akatsuki members were knocked to the ground.
"This is not our fight." Itachi whispered to himself and let Kisame drag him away from the scene of destruction, leaving the pathetic woman to find her own means of escape.
They were gone mere seconds before Tsunade stepped into the newly formed clearing and looked up at the ominous, towering figure of the Kitsune's chakra, emanating from the small battered boy in front of her. She stifled a choked sob before bringing her thumb to her lips, splitting the skin. She had a job to do and she wasn't about to let her emotions get in the way.
(End of chapter)
To Teki Star: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... I'm going as Ino so come and say Hi if you see me. Call me Nazo and I'll know who you are.
To Dreamer: Sasuke should be out of this within the next chapter I think...
To TheTrueSilver: The difference between Kakashi and Tsunade, the strongest Kakashi ever saw Naruto was when he fought against Haku with the demon controlling him. Tsunade saw him the moment he mastered Rasengan, controlling not only the Kyuubi's chakra, but the jutsu as well.
To Naruke: Kakashi knows how much Tsunade wants Naruto back. (see her confession of the necklace) and he can't entirely trust her judgement when it comes to Naruto.
To The La/=/er: I adore your reviews. They help me so much when I'm typing up my chapters. And never worry when it comes to long reviews. They help me out more than you might think. Plus I love reading them
To Kakikeibou: Naruto had faith in Sasuke that he would follow. He's also bull-headed and I don't think he would have been able to stand waiting for Sasuke to get help.
To AkaNoShika: You are brilliant. Do you know that? I am so amazed that I completely forgot about the book. I feel so ashamed. But then again, I haven't seen him in the manga for a very long time. I hope this fixed it. His reasons for being cold and distant will be revealed later though. Icha Icha will make a comeback and I'll stop making him so OOC... And about Lee... his story will be wrapped up as well, however he does seem the type to want Sakura's happiness even if it's not with him. I thik he's a lot wiser than he lets other people think... kind of like Naruto in a sense.
Oh and to clarify... Naruto lives in a two-bedroom apartment. There's one for his bedroom, and the other one is the one he's so secretive about. Sorry to confuse anyone.
To lemmings12: Thanks for retelling that chapter (no I'm actually not being sarcastic), it lets me know you absorbed what you read. In answer to your question about Naruto's "Room of the Dead" Naruto isn't keeping anything solid in there. There are no objects in the room itself. Sorry if that confused the hell out of some people.
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I'm actually amazed at how much people are willing to give me feedback on this. Never worry with me when it comes to length... I'd rather it be too long than too short.
(Oh, and I'm trying to keep them in character as much as possible... please tell me if I don't...)
Wow... I got my two longest reviews EVER! La/=/er and AkaNoShika. You both made my day. I didn't want this to be some PWP with cheap romance. I want it to be as close to real as it can get. There's no way you'd get Sasuke to admit his undying affection on the first try, no matter how he thinks he can read Naruto. He's still slightly protective of his feelings. You can't blame him.
I'm surprised at how many people put in their input on what they thought Naruto's "Room of the Dead" was. I hadn't even thought about Naruto keeping records of his parents...it's an interesting idea, but as of yet, no one has even mentioned his parents to him yet. There is one person who got the 'room' almost exactly, but I can't say who. You'll just have to see what happens. All I can say is that 99% of that review's ideas are right. It's quite scary, actually.
Answers to other questions are at the end. Read on.
Chapter Title: 42. Chained
If Sasuke had been able to move away from the wall far enough, he would have found himself pacing back and forth. As it was, he could do nothing more than sit on the old futon and wait for the armed guards to come in every couple of hours and either feed him or allow him to use the bathroom. Never, in all his life, did he feel so utterly humiliated before. The walls of his cell weren't padded, that he could tell, but with the gloves over his fingers and the glasses over his eyes he could neither feel nor see where he was. The feeling of helplessness washed over him every so often, only heightened by the fact that his hands had to be chained to the wall, limiting his movements, and he couldn't help but panic as nightmarish thoughts of the blond ran through his mind.
Naruto had been keeping track of the Kitsune's every movement for a while, and he had no doubt that the edge of Fire was where the Kitsune had been spotted last. But without someone to repair the seal on his body, his rival wouldn't last long fighting against the demon. He was getting desperate, being in the cell for nearly twenty-four hours straight, until he received a visitor.
He'd been visited a couple of times that day by Kakashi who refused to apologize and to make sure Sasuke knew he was there, keeping him company, he read a couple of passages from his book, Icha Icha Paradaisu. Sasuke was surprised to hear about the book and had assumed Kakashi had outgrown the old habit of reading the dirty book. He also learned (much to his chagrin) that the novel wasn't quite as dirty as he'd previously thought. There was some form of a plot, but it still had its many smutty bits, which Kakashi thankfully censored, claiming he was 'too young to appreciate the fine beauty in the details of the art of story-telling'. Kakashi soon got bored with Sasuke's lack of response to his remarks and left him alone after that.
Sakura also visited him for a few seconds, but the sight of Sasuke bound up like a criminal was more than she could handle at the time and she'd run out of the building stifling her sniffles.
And so he was left alone for quite a while until he was alerted to company by the shuffling of feet.
"Open this door immediately!" A strong woman's voice demanded.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but the doctor has ordered us to keep Uchiha-san locked up. He's insane. Not even you can get him out of here unless we're under attack." Tsunade sighed and went up to the bars, not giving up yet. The sight of the blind and angry boy in front of her brought tears to her eyes, remembering how he'd seemed so full of life just the day before.
"Remove those glasses and gloves." She commanded, but was once again denied. It bewildered her that her powers only went so far. She took small tentative steps closer to the bars and wrapped her fingers around the sturdy, cold metal tightly.
"Sasuke." She whispered softly. He nodded his head curtly to show he'd hurt her and began coughing roughly. It was obvious to the Hokage that he hadn't had a drink in a while and he hadn't said a word since he had been locked up.
"They don't believe me, Hokage." He replied when he was able. "But I don't need people to believe me. I need someone to just help." She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her.
"What can I do?" She asked.
(Star)(Star)(Star)(Makeshift for now till ff.n fixes it)
Half an hour later, Tsunade found herself wandering towards the edge of the village on the back of her summoned snail. She's quickly placed a reluctant Jiraiya in charge of the village and ran out of the front gates before anyone could stop her. She couldn't allow herself to linger too long outside of the village, or else risk not only Sasuke's safety in Konoha, but her own return as well. Not too many people would be too pleased to hear that the ruler of their village had gone on a wild goose chase, based on the information of an insane sixteen and a half year old genin.
The storm that had brewed overnight had left behind a layer of soft white snow and clear blue skies, and she smiled, despite her chilled skin.
It took nearly three hours for her to reach the edge of the country, and in the distance she could see the looming red chakra of the Kitsune, levelling buildings and vegetation alike. Her snail nodded its head and disappeared in a soft poof, letting her tumble down the rest of the way into the snow.
"Ten yen says I don't make it out of here without at least a minor case of frostbite." She mumbled to herself, rubbing her clothed arms futilely. She didn't get to worry too hard on her state of temperature when the distant roars sounded nearer than she could imagine. It appeared that the Kitsune was on a wild rampage and whoever had tried to release him had failed to control the power. Pausing to think for a second, she realised that maybe the Kitsune wasn't just some dumb beast that wanted to destroy. If what Sasuke had said was true, then Naruto's body would be limiting the full extent of the demon's powers. Even the fox knew how much the poor body could handle.
The nearing of the fox demon meant only one other thing to her that mattered. Naruto would be nearby.
"Naruto?" She called out softly, wondering who would hear her first, the boy or his body. "Naruto?!" She repeated it several times, walking towards the tremors and crashes until a timid voice answered her calls, confirming her firm belief in Sasuke.
"Tsunade-baba?"
"Naruto?!" She cried in surprise, spinning around before remembering that he didn't have a body. It took all her control not to break down and sob. The boy that was almost like a little brother to her was still alive. "Daijoubu ka?" She asked.
"Aa, daijoubu." He replied.
"Where are you?" A small shove and an imprint told her the boy was standing right beside her. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." He replied, impatiently. "Where's Sasuke? How did you know where I was? Where's Sasuke?" Tsunade hesitated in her reply.
"Uchiha Sasuke has been arrested and placed under the protection of an armed Anbu guard as well as several doctors. I knew where you were, because he told me how to find you so that I may help you in his place." Naruto seemed to forget all about the approaching demon as his thoughts all turned to his rival.
"What the hell happened?! Is he alright? What does he need doctors for?" The questions came at her quickly.
"Stop!" She held out her hands defensively. "Sasuke went to Kakashi and Sakura and they didn't believe in his claims. They, logically, thought that he was hallucinating. That, in his grief, his mind had conjured you up to console him. They had him arrested for his own safety as well as the safety of everyone else. He is alright, however I don't think he particularly likes being senseless and blind all in one go."
"They... they think he's insane?" He whispered. "When I get back there, I'm going to give Sakura and Kakashi a piece of my mind. They won't get away with this." His anger subsided momentarily. "He was right. I should have visited other people."
"Why didn't you?"
"I enjoyed his company." The reply was quick, needing no thought. "He thought he was going crazy too for a moment and I thought that if I left him and wasn't there to answer his questions he would start to believe it. I'm so selfish."
"How could you think that? You were just saying you did it for Sasuke."
"Sure, but I left him just so I could get my body back. I'm the reason he's in there."
"Stop being so melodramatic!" Tsunade snapped, almost wishing she could smack the boy across the cheek. "Why don't we just fix this so you can go back and fix everything?" Naruto stopped his self-pitying and they were both alerted to the ear-splitting wails of the Kitsune, tearing a path straight for them.
"Naruto, what's wrong with him?" She asked suddenly.
"He is trying to use all of his powers as if it was his old body." He softly replied. "It's really hurting the body. He can't last long on his own, and neither can I."
"Right. What can I do to help you?" Tsunade asked, raising her hands to perform any seal she needed.
"Just keep him still for a few seconds. Did Sasuke tell you about repairing the seal?"
"Yeah! That's the reason he sent me in his place. I'm probably the only person in the village, save Jiraiya, who was strong enough to repair it."
"Good, then. Give me five seconds to get back in before you perform the seal."
"Right." And despite the seriousness of the situation, she snickered to herself at the idea of the most powerful ninja in the whole village taking orders from a sixteen-year-old punk.
(Star)(Star)(Star)
"Don't just stand there, you idiot! Do something about him!!"
"I'm trying Itachi-sama, but I'm not strong enough to tame even that demon." Itachi and the woman were desperately following in the path of the demon's destruction, hoping to figure something out that would slow the fox down long enough for them to capture him. They'd thought they had an agreement with the Kyuubi, but getting rid of Naruto's soul didn't work too well with the Kitsune. He needed complete freedom from the youthful body or none at all.
"Must I do everything myself?" He asked, rhetorically. She went to reply, but was cut off by a wave of Itachi's hand. He raised his Sharingan eyes to the swell of chakra and began performing the required hand seals, only to be pulled out of the trance by Kisame, his partner.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Uchiha?" He asked, tauntingly. A whip-like tail of chakra had landed in the exact place Itachi had been seconds before, demolishing the surrounding landscape in the resulting shockwave. Both Akatsuki members were knocked to the ground.
"This is not our fight." Itachi whispered to himself and let Kisame drag him away from the scene of destruction, leaving the pathetic woman to find her own means of escape.
They were gone mere seconds before Tsunade stepped into the newly formed clearing and looked up at the ominous, towering figure of the Kitsune's chakra, emanating from the small battered boy in front of her. She stifled a choked sob before bringing her thumb to her lips, splitting the skin. She had a job to do and she wasn't about to let her emotions get in the way.
(End of chapter)
To Teki Star: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... I'm going as Ino so come and say Hi if you see me. Call me Nazo and I'll know who you are.
To Dreamer: Sasuke should be out of this within the next chapter I think...
To TheTrueSilver: The difference between Kakashi and Tsunade, the strongest Kakashi ever saw Naruto was when he fought against Haku with the demon controlling him. Tsunade saw him the moment he mastered Rasengan, controlling not only the Kyuubi's chakra, but the jutsu as well.
To Naruke: Kakashi knows how much Tsunade wants Naruto back. (see her confession of the necklace) and he can't entirely trust her judgement when it comes to Naruto.
To The La/=/er: I adore your reviews. They help me so much when I'm typing up my chapters. And never worry when it comes to long reviews. They help me out more than you might think. Plus I love reading them
To Kakikeibou: Naruto had faith in Sasuke that he would follow. He's also bull-headed and I don't think he would have been able to stand waiting for Sasuke to get help.
To AkaNoShika: You are brilliant. Do you know that? I am so amazed that I completely forgot about the book. I feel so ashamed. But then again, I haven't seen him in the manga for a very long time. I hope this fixed it. His reasons for being cold and distant will be revealed later though. Icha Icha will make a comeback and I'll stop making him so OOC... And about Lee... his story will be wrapped up as well, however he does seem the type to want Sakura's happiness even if it's not with him. I thik he's a lot wiser than he lets other people think... kind of like Naruto in a sense.
Oh and to clarify... Naruto lives in a two-bedroom apartment. There's one for his bedroom, and the other one is the one he's so secretive about. Sorry to confuse anyone.
To lemmings12: Thanks for retelling that chapter (no I'm actually not being sarcastic), it lets me know you absorbed what you read. In answer to your question about Naruto's "Room of the Dead" Naruto isn't keeping anything solid in there. There are no objects in the room itself. Sorry if that confused the hell out of some people.
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, I'm actually amazed at how much people are willing to give me feedback on this. Never worry with me when it comes to length... I'd rather it be too long than too short.
(Oh, and I'm trying to keep them in character as much as possible... please tell me if I don't...)