Pairings: None at the beginning, but final pairing is SasuNaru, there will be some GaaNaru and there may be other pairings with Naruto throughout the story.

Warnings: Shonen-ai (boy x boy love) at first and then when the characters are older it will become yaoi, so there will be homosexual pairings in this story. If this bothers you then please don't read this story. Mature content, crude language, cursing and sexual references are in this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. This story is a work of fiction based on the Naruto manga and anime series.

Thoughts and dreams are represented by italics.

Chapter Ten – The Plan

Gaara opened the door to Naruto's apartment and stepped in. He saw his blond friend lying on the couch sleeping. He took off his gourd and set it near the door, then took off his sandals. He quietly walked over to the couch and stared down at his friend.

I hope he can survive this. I swore to myself I would protect him. Gaara sighed and then walked over to the only chair in the room and sat down. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I had to tell Baki I would accept the mission. If I had refused it, then they would have found another way to capture Naruto. I wonder if I will be watched or am being watched right now?

Gaara tried to sense any other chakra, besides Naruto's, nearby. He created his third eye and sent it out the open window near the bed. I do not see anything suspicious around right now. I should wake Naruto up and tell him. Gaara kept his third eye watching for any suspicious activity and kept his senses alert in able to catch anyone that would try to spy on him.

He got up from the chair and walked to the couch, then put a hand on the blond's shoulder and shook it. "Naruto, wake up." It took a few shakes to finally get his friend to awaken.

"Huh?" Naruto opened his eyes and saw the red head. "Oh, hey Gaara." He smiled then painfully pushed himself up to a seating position.

Gaara sat down beside him. "Naruto, I have something very important to tell you and you must keep your voice down. No one else must hear our conversation. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded. Gaara is scaring me. He almost looked like he was afraid. Or maybe it was just my imagination, because now he just looks unemotional as usual.

"The Kazekage gave me a mission. This mission concerns you."

Naruto's eyes widened, but he forced himself to stay silent to let his friend continue.

"You told me about Orochimaru and how he had gave Sasuke a curse seal, that you took off. I believe he knows the truth about you. Baki didn't tell me anything about it himself, but it must be true because I'm supposed to take you out of the village and deliver you to Orochimaru."

"But you aren't going to do that right? Because you're telling me all about it. What are you going to do?" Naruto knew his friend would never betray him but he didn't know how he could go against his own Kazekage and village.

"Well...I am going to do it, Naruto."

"What!" Naruto yelled in surprise.

"Naruto, if I don't, then he would just find another way and I wouldn't be there to protect you. We will meet up with Orochimaru, but I won't let him get you."

"You mean we will fight him, then." Naruto thought about that.

"Yes, it's the only way, that I can see." Gaara waited to see what Naruto was thinking about.

"When I fought him before it was without my bloodline limit, maybe the two of us together can defeat him, Gaara." Naruto looked at his friend hopefully.

Gaara smiled. "I think together we stand a very good chance. I was told I have only a week to complete the mission. So we need to decide which day we will go."

"Gaara...we need to tell the Hokage."

"Naruto, if we were found out..."

Naruto interrupted his friend. "We won't be! I will go there alone and tell him that no one can hear what I tell him. I'm sure he has some kind of jutsu that will make it so no one can spy on us."

"Naruto, if we don't show up, Orochimaru may leave and then come after you when you have no protection or back up."

"I will tell that to the Hokage. Don't worry, Gaara. You and I are strong, but don't you want to make sure that Orochimaru is no longer able to hurt either one of us. He would go after you too if you betray him."

Naruto is right. We have to do whatever it takes to protect him. I am not concerned with myself, as he seems to be. My father has tried to kill me so many times before, and I survived. "Alright, Naruto, I will put my trust in you and your Hokage. You should go to see him immediately."

Naruto jumped up from the couch. "Okay!" He had a grin on his face. Then he looked down to the red head. He reached down and gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you are my friend, Gaara!"

Gaara smiled and hugged back, then kissed his friend on the cheek.

Naruto laughed then gave a kiss back. He let go of the red head and headed to the door. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If you're hungry, just go ahead and eat. I'll eat later." He got his sandals on and opened the door then left.

Gaara sighed. Everything will be fine. It has to be. He then got up off the couch and headed to the kitchen.

Naruto knocked on the door of the Hokage's office, and then just walked in.

"Hey old man!" Naruto noticed that the Hokage had company. "Oh hey Kakashi-sensei and ero-sennin!" What are they doing here?

"Naruto, we were in the middle of an important meeting. Can you come back tomorrow?" The Hokage had a stern look on his face.

"No, I can't, I have something I have to talk with you about. Can you do that no spy, or whatever it's called, jutsu that you know?

The Third looked at his other visitors. "This may be important." The other two nodded at him. The Hokage then performed a jutsu that made the room they were in soundproof, then he quickly performed another jutsu that made them all invisible to anyone that was trying to watch them. "Alright, young man, no one can hear or see us right now. What's so important?"

Naruto then told the men what Gaara had told him about his mission and what they had decided to do. "And don't think about stopping us either. I only told you because I think you should know and uh, maybe we could use some help. I don't want Gaara getting hurt."

The Hokage sighed and looked at the other two adults that were in the room. "I think I should tell him. It looks like our own plan needs to be altered now."

Jiraiya looked at Naruto. "I'm glad you came to the Hokage, brat. It was the smart thing to do."

"Yes, I agree with Jiraiya. You are growing up nicely, Naruto." Kakashi smiled proudly at his blond student.

Naruto smiled back at the men and rubbed the back of his head. He blushed in embarrassment at their praise.

"Naruto...Jiraiya, Kakashi and I had already made a plan to go after Orochimaru and kill him."

Naruto looked at the Hokage in surprise. "You did?"

"Yes, we did. But now we need to do it when you and Gaara go to meet him."

"What about Gaara? I don't want him to get in trouble with the Kazekage and called a traitor."

"Don't worry about Gaara, Naruto. We can make it look like he tried to fulfill his mission and got knocked out of the fight, something like that. After this is over, you won't have to worry about Orochimaru coming after you again." The Hokage then looked at Jiraiya. "You and I both used to care about Orochimaru, but we have to destroy him, once and for all. It's for Naruto's sake."

Jiraiya nodded at him and had a determined look on his face. "I won't hold back, he won't leave this battle alive."

A thought came to Kakashi. "What about that seal that Orochimaru put on Naruto? Is it tied to him or is it permanent?"

Jiraiya looked at the masked jounin. "It is permanent unless someone else takes it off."

"Shouldn't it be taken off? I forgot to ask you before."

"I thought about taking it off, Kakashi, but if I do, then Naruto may start using the fox's chakra again and then become more dependent on it than his own special chakra. He needs to learn to use his own and it will make him far more powerful as a ninja in the future, than the fox's chakra ever could. The more he used that demon's chakra, the more it would make him merge with the fox. Naruto had already been changing some before Orochimaru's seal. Now he will be able to stay human. Don't you agree, Kakashi?"

"Yes, I agree with your decision. I don't want Naruto using that demon's chakra like it was his own. He will become stronger relying on his own powers. His birthright." He looked at Naruto and smiled at him. I know that one day, Naruto will surpass even the great Yondaime, in power. It's a good thing he has such a good heart. He takes after both his parents in that.

"Okay, well what is the new plan, old man?" Naruto looked at the Hokage expectantly.

"Well, young man, I think you and Gaara should meet with Orochimaru in two days. Leave your apartment at noon to head out for the meeting and we will follow along behind you. The three of us can hide ourselves in a way that Orochimaru, nor any of his minions, can detect. We won't show ourselves until after you are face to face with him. Don't go off with anyone. If Orochimaru is hiding, force him to come out and face you. We need to make sure he doesn't get away."

Naruto nodded. "Okay, sure. I can do that. Well...I need to get back to Gaara now." He turned to head to the door.

"Naruto."

Naruto turned back to look at Jiraiya. "Yeah?"

"Make sure that you and Gaara only speak of this once and that no one is around to hear you. Remember what you learned earlier today with me."

"Yeah, I remember ero-sennin! But Gaara knows how to protect against spying. He did it before when he told me about all of this."

"Well, I wonder then how Orochimaru found out the truth about you, Naruto?" Kakashi was pretty sure that the sannin had found out from Naruto somehow.

"I don't know!" Then Naruto turned red and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, um, it could have been in the Forest of Death when I told Sakura-chan or it could have been at the tower there when I told Gaara. I wasn't thinking about anyone spying on me at those times."

"Why did you feel it was necessary to tell anyone but the Hokage?" Jiraiya asked this question.

"Sakura-chan and Gaara are my friends! I trust them. Neither one would want to hurt me. And I just felt I had to tell them the truth. I kept the truth about the fox for a year and I felt so lonely not having anyone to tell that I could trust. Then I finally get some friends and I just don't want to lie anymore. Friends don't lie to each other." Naruto had a stubborn and determined look on his face. I don't care what these guys think! I will do what I think is right. I trust Gaara, Sakura-chan and even Sasuke.

The Hokage smiled at Naruto. "It's alright, Naruto. I know you did what you felt was best for you. It seems that Gaara is truly a good friend to you. He came to you and told you about Orochimaru's plan. Despite how it could bring harm to himself. That is what a true friend does."

Naruto smiled happily at the Third. "Yep! That's Gaara! He's my best friend. Well got to go."

"Don't forget, two days from now at noon."

"I won't forget, old man!" He grinned at the Hokage then turned and opened the door and left the room.

"Naruto is too trusting." Jiraiya sighed.

"Well, if it wasn't for being friends with Gaara, then he could have been kidnapped by him instead. Then handed over to Orochimaru." Kakashi pointed out to the sannin.

"Kakashi is right, Jiraiya. It is a good thing that Naruto and Gaara became friends."

On his way back to his apartment, Naruto came across Sasuke walking towards him. Wonder why he's out walking around so late? "Hey Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped in front of the blond and looked at him. "What are you doing out here, dobe?"

"Hey, stop calling me that, bastard!" Naruto glared at him.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"I was just out taking a walk. Looks like you are too."

"I'm heading back home now. You still hanging around Gaara?"

"Of course and what's it to you?" Naruto didn't feel like fighting with Sasuke about his friendship with the red head, but he wanted to know why Sasuke cared.

"Nothing. I really don't care if you want to get yourself hurt." Sasuke then walked to the side of Naruto, to pass him.

"Gaara is my best friend and he will never hurt me."

Sasuke paused and looked back at Naruto. "Your best friend, huh?" Why do I care if he calls Gaara his best friend? Naruto doesn't have to think of me as a friend. We're just rivals.

"Yes, my best friend. He would protect me with his life."

Has the dobe forgotten what I did for him? I protected him, even though I hadn't wanted to, I did. Why do I care anyway? "Hn." Sasuke walked away.

Is Sasuke jealous of Gaara? I can now read his emotions and moods, somewhat, since we've been around each other for a while now. It almost sounded like he was hurt when he asked about Gaara being my best friend. Well, if Sasuke wanted to be my best friend, he should have treated me better. Talked with me more. Gaara's not a big talker himself, but when he does speak, it's not to insult me. Naruto then shrugged off his thoughts about Sasuke and continued to walk back to his apartment.

When he got back to his apartment, Naruto looked at Gaara and smiled. He took off his sandals and walked over to the couch to sit beside his friend. "Can you make sure no one can hear us?"

Gaara nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate on his surroundings. Then he sent his third eye outside again. He opened his eyes and looked at the blond. "You can talk now."

"We are to leave this apartment at noon, two days from now, and head to the place that you are supposed to take me to meet Orochimaru. The Hokage, the ero-sennin and Kakashi-sensei will follow us. They said they would make sure they aren't detected. Ero-sennin said for me and you to only talk about this once and then not talk about it again."

"Who is this ero-sennin?" Gaara hadn't heard Naruto speak of him before.

"Oh! He's my new sensei and he's one of the legendary sannin, just like Orochimaru is. He's an old pervert. He writes those Icha Icha Paradise books."

That is strange. "He sounds different."

Naruto laughed. "You don't know the half of it! He's a great ninja though and he knows Orochimaru, so that will help."

"Yes it will. I was worried before when I made the decision to take the mission. The two of us alone are powerful, but it is much better to have the Hokage's help. I don't want to lose you, Naruto."

"Don't worry, Gaara." He smiled at the red head. "You won't lose me. I won't die until after I become Hokage. A long time after!"

Gaara smiled at the blond. Yes, he will live to see his dream come true. I will make sure of that. No matter what I have to do.

TBC