Disclaimer: This is the last time that I will say this! I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! If I did then…I'd be rich!

Mine Alone

A Yang Production

The village had poured out onto the streets, marching towards the Hokage building. Angry parents held onto their children, all tensed, suspecting one another. They yelled out for the Hokage and she appeared with Naruto behind her. His presence only upset the people further.

" We need this person caught! NOW!" They all yelled.

" We are doing the best we can! Leave this in our hand."

" No! Iruka was one of the best and thanks to that brat…" Their eyes gave off and intense hatred. "…he's now dead!" Murmurs turned to angry yells.

" Give that brat to the murderer! Not our children!" Someone stood on a statue close by. Before anyone could say or do anything, they launched an arrow at Naruto. Hatred now drove the crowd, no reasoning could get through to them. Tsunade spun and tried to grab the arrow, and missed by mere inches.

Birds took to the skies as I grabbed it, the tip right at Naruto's forehead. With one hand I snapped it in two. Through the slits in my mask I saw Naruto's pale face, contrasting terribly with my black cloak. The Hokage must have ordered the ANBU to 'arrest' me, since they were heading our way with Kakashi, in full rage, as lead. I ran forward, breaking the formation. Someone in a rabbit mask tried to attack me from behind, but I jumped and struck him and another with a mid-air kick. Their mask cracked and shattered. Once I landed I raced forward, two more masked ANBU chasing me as if I was a mouse. The bastard that tried to kill Naruto fell from his spot, and I grabbed him by the back of his shirt. He carried with him another arrow.

" May I borrow this?" I took the arrow and placed it into the launch. It flew straight, and managed to hit one in the face, the other fell back to help his fallen comrade. " Now, bastard, I will make one thing clear…do not harm Naruto. Do you understand?" His head nodded. " Good, now be a dear and take this note to Hokage." I patted him on the back and let him drop to the ground from the branch that I happen to land on. " Hurry!"

Hokage-sama-

Let this be a notice, do not let Naruto out. KEEP HIM SAFE! Had I not passed by surely he would have died. If any form of harm comes to Naruto, the village of Konoha will burn to the skies and you will hear the cries of the dying.

The man that brought in the note shifted his weight from foot to foot. Once the Hokage had read the note, he was escorted by two guards to the holding cell. She leaned back in her chair only to hear a loud BOOM outside her office. The wall flew in, splattering bits and pieces of plaster and blood. The man lay dead on the floor with the two guards wounded, but not dead. A big gaping hole stared back at her, the whole sky and the village below was visible. Coughing from the dust that was settling, she rose and rushed to attend the fallen two. Thank goodness that Naruto was being taken care of by Kakashi and the rest of the younger Shinobi's.

Make sure that you always finish the job.

" SENSEI!" Some obnoxious voice rang in his head.

" What is it Naruto?"

" I've been trying to get your attention for the past half hour. I have to ask you something."

" Go ahead, though I might not answer."

" Did you and Iruka have a special relationship?" This threw Kakashi for a loop, and unprepared he did the next best thing: He fell into the river.

" SENEI!"

" I'm fine…That's kinda private, don't you think?"

" You're the pervert and your talking about private?"

" Never mind…Iruka was a special friend of mine." Ya know 'special'.

Who should show up but the one, the only, Uchiha Sasuke! He coolly walked over and stared at a dripping wet Kakashi.

" What prank did you play on Kakashi-sensei?"

" Nothing! I swear…hey what's that?" Naruto, who never learned that pointing is rude, pointed to the red welt underneath Sasuke's right eye.

" Nothing!" He snapped.

" Both of you! Let go to the forest, you need to refine your chakra skills. Climb trees!" He ushered his two bickering students wondering how Sakura was able to keep these two from killing each other. Birds chirped happily as they entered the forest and many other creatures scurried about. Naruto already was set to begin his tree and Sasuke thought it ridiculous to do a skill that he already knew. Distracted by his Come Come Paradise book, Kakashi walked around in a circle, strolling in remembrance of his better days. Here he had told Iruka that he was madly in love with him and Iruka remembering that it was April 1st shrugged it off as a joke. It wasn't until Kakashi had pinned Iruka to a tree and kissed him that Iruka realized that he wasn't joking. Both of them admitted to long buried feelings, and they became a secret couple. Lost in thought Kakashi wandered off, leaving his two students.

Sasuke let himself fall from the tree, and landed nimbly on the ground below. He had seen Kakashi walk off and he was intrigued as to where he was going.

" Sasuke! Where the hell do you think you're going?" Naruto clung to the tree branch.

" Somewhere…Stay here, I'll be back." Running after his Sensei, he left Naruto alone.

Copy-cat…copy-cat…copy-cat…Kakashi. They were the same thing. He left himself open deep in thought.

" Copy-cat Kakashi…" I called out, still draped in the same outfit I had on earlier with the exception of a new bushy tail…Naruto was a fox so I wanted to copy him. He looked up from his perverted book of his, took one look and stood in front of me. He was taller up close.

" YOU!" He grabbed me by my neck and pushed me up against a tree. " What the hell do you want now!"

" You." I swung up my legs so they rested on his chest and pushed. His grip loosened and I dropped to the ground on all four. Two feet were great, but when you had to move extremely quickly, use all four. Not even up from the ground, I loomed over him. " Kakashi…you're slow." Grabbing his right arm, I threw him up. I never noticed that he had revealed his Sharingan eye. Flashbacks of a certain tasty dead weasel flooded my brain. Two scrolls flew into my hands and they lashed out, binding Kakashi. My arms could barely wrap themselves around his waist. " Let's see what this will do to you." Using the momentum I had gathered, I flipped us upside down. We began our spiral decedent to the solid ground below. I had to let go at the right moment…HERE! I unlocked my arms and let him crash into the ground. Falling to my knees, I tried to get my breath back. Someone tapped me and I foolishly turned. A foot made contact with my chin, sending me into the air, Strips of cloth snaked around me, trapping me. The ever famous Kakashi wrapped HIS hands around MY waist. Blood trickled from his head, but his eyes held no sign of being tired.

" Time to reply the favor!" I never let an emotion cross my face as I watched the ground rush towards me, and I was helpless. His arms were no longer present and the ground burst open as my body reached it.

Dust rose in a great big cloud over the open wound of the earth. That move had taken a bit out of the Sharingan user, more than he had expected. Lee had made it seem so simple…well at least a bit less painful. Please with that die. Hands gripped the edge of the crater, and a mound of earth rose up.

He was smart, Kakashi was. I had to give him some credit. My earth clones helped cushion the fall, and they helped my get out. A tall column of earth rose like a giant snake. " You're good Kakashi…" I smirked while I wiped the blood from my cut lip. " Real good." Underneath the mask I could tell that the pervert was grinning as he mimicked my hand seals, and brought out his own Earth Dragon. Finishing at the same time, our dragons collided, sending earthy sand through the air. I couldn't see and then something came running out of the smoke, Kakashi, his hand blazing with the Chidori. The ground was torn apart from the chakra he held in his hand. I began my hand seals, to bring up my earth clone. His attack killed my clone with one hit, but I was able to dodge it.

" Thanks for the help." Breaking off the chunk of dirt that held his hand captive, he performed my own seals, and two earth clones appeared next to him. This is what I wanted. Closing my eyes, I brought two fingers to rest on my mask while I collected Chakra. A hole appeared underneath his feet, and it swallowed him whole. A sphere of dirt was attached to the ground. The clones disappeared as the earth had sealed within it his chakra.

" Like my new trick?" The earth was nice and cool underneath my hand. " It took a long time to figure out how to contain something inside it." Was that his Chidori roaring inside? A hand stuck out from the earth, close to my face. " I wouldn't do that." My hands closed slowly and his Chidori fizzed out. " You can't see, you can't move, you can't do anything!"

" Why Iruka!"

" Iruka? Oh yes…I heard about him. Died in his sleep. Isn't it better that way? No pain."

" He never hurt Naruto!"

" True. I thought I would never have to raise my hand against sensei."

" Don't call him sensei you brat!"

" Kakashi…I didn't know you cared! I was hoping that Iruka would never had to die. He was the only one who was decent to Naruto. Then you came and treated Naruto with respect. You two make a lovely couple." Closing my hands even more, the sphere began to shrink. " In ten minutes you will suffocate. I wish you luck in your next life, I bless your relationship with Iruka. Say hello to him on the other side." The sphere sank down to the ground and I planted a flag with that stupid face that he painted on his little Nin dogs, which were all drugged and asleep. " Pleasant love…it hurts. It really hurts."

Love without you hurts,

To the point of dying.

I'm fragile without you,

Will I survive the end?

Like hell he did.

Naruto had exhausted himself to the point of passing out cold on the ground. Birds sat on top of him like he was any old stump on the ground. A figure appeared and scared away them all away. Slumping to the ground Sasuke panted, tired from what ever he had done. In this state, Naruto was so calm, so vulnerable. Blood rose to Sasuke's pale cheeks, and he felt the urge to reach out and brush away those strand of hair from Naruto's face. He did just that. Feeling his skin against his sent a jolt throughout his body, something that he never felt with any one else. He reposition himself so that he sat near Naruto, bending over to hover above his face. Raven hair cascaded down and gently brushed against the tan skin. Onyx black eyes closed as he closed the gap between their faces. For the first time in many long tiresome lonely years Sasuke kissed someone. It was not just anyone, no that would make the kiss meaning less. He had been denying it and he will continue to deny it: He was falling in love with the biggest loud mouth, the dumbest of all blondes, the most hyper of hyperactive humans, the one person that haunted his dreams and the one that he longed to see everyday. But hey, for now it wouldn't hurt to give into these feelings right? Just this one little kiss and everything would go back to being as how it was, a love/hate relationship. He was the heartthrob of the village, but for now he was some love struck fool. He Uchiha Sasuke was in love. It took a sleeping Naruto to show him. It took him many years and many months to melt the ice that surrounded his heart.

" Dobe…Naruto." He broke the kiss but still kept their face only inches apart, " Why are you doing this to me? You idiot."

"mhnm?" The blonde sat upright looking around before jumping to his feet upon seeing Sasuke leaning against a tree with his arms neatly folded across his chest. " Hah! I bet your old record! Where the hell did you go?" Scratches were covering the visible skin that Naruto could see. There was a small patch of dried blood on Sasuke's forehead. " What did you do to your self!" Naruto begun to dig into he pouch and brought out some bandages. " You're gonna kill yourself if you don't take care of yourself!" He motioned for Sasuke to join him on the ground. The bandages were tied tautly against the million fresh scratches. " Look at this! You could have scars from these cuts!" A long healing cut was seen just above his headprotector. " THIS COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!"

" Why do you care? Then you could beat me."

" You can't die!"

" Why not?"

Why not exactly? Why had Naruto begun to worry over Sasuke when he could have attacked him and beaten him?

" Because! Leave those on for a little bit okay?"

" How do you know so much about injuries?"

"I was beat and bullied. Everyday I would show up bruised and I felt ashamed. I didn't have someone at home so I had to learn to cure myself. Iruka was the only one who really showed me everything. You know those times that I told you I had tripped and showed up with those thick bandages? That day when you asked me about what happened? "

" Why are you just telling me now! If I knew I would have come hurriedly to help you!"

" You did and you were almost killed…or don't you remember?"

That explains those odd dreams that plagued him. Naruto was knocked out in a pool of his own blood and Sasuke…he just stood there too weak to do anything.

" I'm sorry Naruto! I'm not as strong as I thought." He reached out with one good hand to comfort his comrade. Darkness over took him and he woke up in the hospital.

" I promise that no one will touch my precious people…"

Why didn't he realize then that things would turn out like this? Things were starting to get carried away.

" Let's get you back home." Naruto watched as Sasuke simply stood up as if nothing was wrong and headed towards the village.

Official Report

The body of Kakashi was found about 150 feet below the surface. Suffocation was the mode of death. It is the same killer. We did find two interesting object, a gold key and found with the body a stuffed dolphin. We are not sure of what the key opens or why a dolphin was with Kakashi. Kakashi in now the 7th of many unsolved murders. The same confusing notes were found.

You and I are not guilty

But we are vulnerable

It's the way of life,

For what do I live for?

They live so they may die, Hokage-sama.

Remember that!

Like a shadow that even in light is always there I stand over this village, always trying to keep betrayers out. Have you come to wonder exactly what a betrayer is? Of course, it is anyone who harms or tries to touch Naruto, in a way killing him. Like those kids that hate him for no valid reason. Like I once did too.

Yang-chan: It took a while but I was able to write up this chapter. The pervert Kakashi died. But Iruka! I'm so sorry! You'll get your revenge in the end!

Ferret: Quit whining!

Yang-chan: I'm still so upset…oh! To Bloody Cross, WELCOME TO THE CLUB! Where do you think I came up with getting drunk off tea? Hehehe…All form of tea has been taken away from me….at least that's what they think! (holds a disguised can of tea) Yes! GO TEA! WHOO!

Ferret: Excuse her, she hasn't had any tea yet. You should see her when she has tea, one time she woke up in a pink prom dress (hates dresses) and full fledge make-up and she couldn't remember what happened.

Yang-chan: FERRET! That was suppose to be a secret! Anyway, (gets on knees and bows deeply) Please review!