"That... that's Naruto?"
"No, that can't be Naruto..." Sakura whispered, taking a step back, nearly falling off the tree but catching herself, landing on the ground on one foot. Sasuke followed her, both staring at what was once their comrade. "That weapon... Naruto wouldn't be able to hold it. Only Hinata-chan and Neji-kun can touch it with their Jukens... And... He..." She cringed, seeing Naruto covered in blood, standing there with the hilt of the sword in his hand, the tip touching the ground with blood sliding down its blade. "He wouldn't..."
The blonde looked up, staring at them with newly-found apathy within the darkened sapphire eyes. Sasuke felt himself twitch, and shake a bit, but look away. He couldn't stand seeing him like this... He felt his stomach lurching, as if he were going to throw up or something. His left hand quickly pressed against his stomach, as if applying pressure to it would help, though it didn't at all.
"It was Naruto-kun..." he breathed, his throat starting to sting. Bringing one hand up, he coughed against it, looking at Sakura seriously. "Now this being is just the dangerous nukenin that threatens our lives..." He looked down, unable to even register in his mind that he'd said that. He knew he did, though.
"Sasuke-kun..." She looked at him for a second, than over at Naruto, who was just staring at them hatefully. She nodded. "Yes, you're right." Through the small holes in her mask, she thought she could see Sasuke trembling, but she knew better--or thought she did, because he was. She turned, facing Naruto, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at the blonde ninja. "Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf Village of Fire, you are to come with us without hesitation or refusal. Drop your weapon and surrender yourself to us."
Sasuke unsheathed his sword, holding in it in his left hand, still trembling slightly though he didn't let it show. He stared at Naruto through the small holes in his own red and white mask, though his vision was blurred. Under the mask, he tried to deny it but he knew his eyes were damp.
Naruto looked over to Sasuke, staring straight at him, into the dark eye holes of the mask. His face was stained with blood, and--tears? Sasuke noticed Naruto looked like he had been crying. He took a step towards the blonde, but pain suddenly shot through his body and his old injury, the one he'd gotten from the very sword that his prior teammate was holding.
Naruto looked down, gripping the sword tighter.
"Drop the sword!" Sakura ordered, advancing three paces with her own sword pointed at him. She stopped, glaring from Naruto to the blade within his hand.
"No." the blonde whispered, biting into his lower lip so that it bled and the blood trickled down his chin.
"Then we will have to force you." she stated, frowning behind the ANBU regulated masks. She brought one hand to her face, closing her eyes, concentrating her chakra to the hand, then charging out, sword in one hand, chakra-powered arm free with a fisted hand. She lunged at Naruto, swinging her arm, but he jumped, landing in a tree above her, staring down. He raised the thin, dangerous sword, which glowed with a similar red chakra; the same type that came out when he released his Kyuubi.
Sasuke was practically frozen in place, but when he saw the sword--pointed directly at Sakura--he growled. Jumping, he kicked off a tree, slashing his own blade at Naruto. The blades met, the two on the bottom side of the branch, their second-nature chakra abilities keeping them there, upside-down. Pressing hard, as did Naruto, the Uchiha glared past the mask edge and into the blonde's eyes.
This isn't him, not anymore; this isn't Naruto-kun... He was trying to keep reminding himself of it, though it wasn't working very well. The familiar light-blue eyes--even shadowed as they were with apathy--the blonde hair and the little whisker-like birthmarks...
"Naruto-kun, stop this!" he yelled, pushing his sword to the side so that both of the weapons fell, landing crossed with their tips in the ground, hilts touching. Before both hands even left the hilt, one of Sasuke's reached forward in an attempt to grab the other male, though it failed. He was pushed over the edge, Sasuke, and landing on his back, not able to even grasp what the hell was going on. Quickly, he found himself standing, his eyes feeling even more wet than before, running at Naruto.
Sakura touched her head, watching the two with a sudden headache. She looked around, spotting someone watching from the bushes. As soon as the man saw her glaring at him, he disappeared. She tried to run after her, but his technique was faster than her own, and she lost him.
The Uchiha lunged forward again at Naruto, then missed, landing with his back to a tree. Naruto had gotten the sword back in hand, and Sasuke hadn't even gotten his own. As the blonde pulled out the chakra-devouring sword, he also took up Sasuke's in his left hand, twirling them for a second before staring over towards Sasuke, slashing at him in an X-pattern. The ebony-haired boy jumped to the side, avoiding it so little that his outfit got cut on the side of his arm, though he didn't bleed or anything. Landing perfectly, he reached out his hand, charging his special technique--Chidori.
At the same exact time that Sasuke charged his Chidori, Naruto dropped the two blades and formed his Rasengan, staring at Sasuke with those blood- and tear-stained eyes that were still shadowed by apathy. Both raced forward, as Sakura watched from nearby, colliding with their two attacks combining into a humongous energy, their hands mere centimeters apart. The trees nearby literally blew apart and sort of ripped apart, the huge energy circling the two powerful shinobi.
The attacks, for a split second, seemed to become one, though before Sasuke or Naruto could fully realize it they were both yards apart, laying on the grass and bleeding badly from many spots in their body. Even with his injury reopened, the first thing Sasuke did was jump up, running over to Naruto, who's eyes were only half open and staring up straight at the sky. He knelt next to the blonde, hands on his shoulders.
At the sight of the ANBU, Naruto reached up, pulling the mask off slowly, revealing the horrified face of his friend, through his blurred vision, who was... crying. Sasuke, crying. And looking worried to death.
Even with that blurred vision, he could feel a few tear drops falling from the what had almost been inside of the mask that must had been there before, onto his face, as his eyes closed and his whole world went black. He thought he heard his name being yelled out, called out, by that familiar voice, but he figured he was just kidding himself.
Neji stared down at the group below him, frowning a bit. "It seems that you were able to capture him without and difficulty, then?" Konohamaru was next to him, staring down at Sasuke who was knelt over Naruto's body. Sakura nodded, looking from the one she was kneeling next to the other two.
"Yes, we were. We are not killing him, instead bringing him back to the village. Please use your abilities to hold the sword, if you would."
"Alright," Neji nodded, jumping down and landing on both knees, pressing his hands against the whole blade and hilt of the sword, closing off the chakra vents quickly. He slid it under his sash, staring over at Konohamaru who was now also next to the blonde, unconscious ninja that bled profusely.
"Naruto-sempai," he muttered, touching Naruto's shoulder, but Sasuke literally hit his hand away. Sakura still had her ANBU regulated mask on, but the younger shinobi noticed that Naruto was holding Sasuke's, and that Sasuke didn't seem to care to get it back; he was just watching as Sakura used healing techniques on the blonde ninja, but they weren't working well. She looked up at him, frowning.
"Let's hurry and get him back to the village," Neji said from behind them, one hand on the hilt of the sword. Konohamaru looked down at Naruto, frowning deeply. Sasuke reached down, picking up the blonde shinobi, one arm under the other's legs, one around Naruto's shoulders. Pulling the slightly younger one's body against his, he stood up, frowning down at him.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
Konohamaru looked around, frowning, then over to Neji, finally nodding. "Right."
Sasuke stood next to the bed, the door behind him disconnecting him from Sakura, Neji and Konohamaru, who were all worried, though Tsunade insisted they stayed out there. Sasuke had agreed with them, quickly. Naruto was laying on the bed, blood-stained bandages on his chest, around both shoulders, wrists, ankles, calves and thighs. No blanket there, either, and he was only in those silky, white boxers he wore, though in the corner there was some chakra-powered heater since it was getting late, and since it was going to be cold even with the window closed. There were small, circular sticky plastic objects against the blonde shinobi's flesh, and a clear, plastic mask over his mouth to regulate his breathing. An IV was in his right wrist, three hooks on a metal nearby pole each holding three different things--one with water, one with purple, thin liquid, and one with a thick, orange liquid. The water split halfway down into two tubes, one mixing with the green liquid right before going into the blonde's flesh, and the other went straight into his bloodstream. The orange liquid did not ever mix with the water, at least not outside Naruto's body.
He was standing, and refused to let himself sit. His body ached and all, though he'd just been bandaged and told to rest. He'd only agreed to the bandaged portion, of course. He reached out one hand, sliding the finger against Naruto's cheek, frowning. The blonde still had Sasuke's ANBU mask clutched tightly within his fingers. Sasuke made no attempt to take it away, either, and just kept staring at the blonde.
He was listening carefully and closely to the little noises the machine nearby made, which told the blonde's heartbeat. Grateful it was at a steady pace, he finally sighed, kneeling down on the cushion next to Naruto's bed, his arms crossed on the side of the futon. His eyes slowly closed, as he tried to breath slowly and regulate him thoughts that flooded every single little, tiny section of his mind.
"Sasuke-kun..."
He looked up suddenly, his body jerking up, his heart beating quicker for a second. His eyes met Naruto's soft, gentle sapphire ones, which were staring at him sadly. He bit into his bottom lip, standing up slowly.
"Naruto-kun, I--"
"I'm so sorry," the blonde suddenly interrupted, breathing out his apology, looking at him with a terrified expressoin. Tears were welling up on the sides of his eyes. "Sasuke-kun, I really am! Please, I'm scarred at what they're going to do to me..." He sniffed, sitting up slowly and pulling his pillow to in front of his face, crying into it.
"Naruto-kun, you shouldn't worry about stuff like that, really. What's important, right now, is that you're safe and alive." He sat next to the blonde, though facing him, one leg out the other crossed under the left. He looked straight into the other's eyes. Sasuke was still in the bottom half of his ANBU black outfit, though the top was off because of his having to get bandaged and all. He was bare-footed, with his shoes in the corner of the room on a cement section.
"I stole that damned sword! I attack and fought at least two shinobi of our village! One was you, even, and I'd bet the other was Sakura..." He layed down, slowly, looking up at Sasuke. Slowly, he raised the mask, pressing it against Sasuke's face. The Uchiha didn't move, just stared through the holes at the blonde ninja. "I remember seeing you and everything... I'm sorry, I really am, I mean it... They're going to kill me now..." His fingers left the mask, which--for a second--stayed on Sasuke's face.
The Uchiha reached up, carefully pulling the mask off and setting it down on the edge of the bed, looking at him. "No, no, they won't kill you. I swear, I promise."
"You don't understand, Sasuke... The severity of what I did... I killed someone, I really did."
Sasuke twitched, staring at Naruto, who was beginning to cry again into the pillow.
"I killed someone from our village, Sasuke. They won't just let me live for it, either. I killed him, I killed him..." He held his head, starting to shake violently, his head hidden within the pillow. "I really, really killed him!"
"Naruto-kun," the Uchiha whispered, resting a hand on the other male's shoulder, frowning deeper.
"I killed Iruka-sensei, I killed him, I killed him..." He was trembling even worse, rocking back and fourth on his side, crying deeply. "I really killed him..."
Sasuke shook his head, frowning. Iruka. That was their academy sensei. He put both hands on Naruto's shoulders, now, pulling him a bit closer, resting the blonde's head on his shoulder. "Shhh..."
He's upset, he needs comforting. He'll let anyone comfort him, even you. Yeah, even you...
"Naruto-ku-"
"Sasuke, I... What are you..." He looked up at him for a second, then to the side, wincing. His body ached like hell. "I..." His tears had stopped, though they still had stained his face.
Yeah, right. Like he'd ever wany you to comfort him... It sickens him, the idea, you know. You know that...
Sasuke loosened his grip, looking away, hiding his frown from the blonde. "I...I'll go now... But... stop crying, alright? I mean, everyone has to kill eventually. They won't kill you for it." He stood up, picking up his shoes near the door before exiting through it. He didn't even remember to bring his mask with him.
Naruto just watched after him, a sort of confused look on his face. When the door closed, leaving him alone in the dark room, nearly naked and without any blankets. Though the heat in the corner felt really good, he felt horrible. He stared down at his lap, feeling the cold sting of the tears against his cheeks.
"Sasuke-kun... just tried to..." He wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes tightly. "And you... You were so stupid, so afraid, and... So..." He fell backwards on his bed, crying into the pillow that was against his face once more. "You idiot..." he whispered, hatefully at himself. "You complete idiot..."
It took him an hour to calm down, and when he finally did he'd turned off all the machines, ripping everything that was connected to his body that wasn't bandages or clothes off. He stood in front of the window, staring out it with one hand gently on it, frowning. The room was quite warm now. He sighed deeply, inwardly chiding himself for being so stupid. He hated how bad he felt, and how he'd reacted to Sasuke's actions.
Slowly, he pushed open the glass window frames, pulling himself up to kneel on the window and stare out at the night. He could see the lights of some places were on, and was staring at one in particular. Slowly, carefully, he stood up, jumping down, landing on the roof of a lower building quietly. He'd picked up Sasuke's ANBU mask, before leaving the room, and held it in two fingers tightly. Quickly, he made his way back to his own home, though once he was at the door, he stopped.
His hand was on the doorknob, and he had it open. He took a slow, careful step in, staring around the interior. It felt strange, and all. He felt out of place, as if he hadn't been there for a few days, and was used to the feel of other places so much that his own felt strange. Though it felt safe, for sure. To him, at least.
He closed the door behind him, looking around, flipping on the light and leaning his back against the door. His eyes scanned around the area, before they rested on his cabinet that was open. Slowly, he made his way over towards the cabinet, pulling out a foam cup and ripping the top off. He put some water to boil, and poured the water into the foam cup after it had finished boiling. He rummaged through a drawer until he found some clean chopsticks, and knelt down on a cushion near a short, small table in the corner, leaning against it and staring at the ramen in front of him that was heating up. He knew to wait three minutes, and he was feeling like if he even waited that long that he wouldn't feel like eating. He laid his head down, closing his eyes, sighing.
Naruto felt himself drifting off into sleep, and quickly sat up. He looked over at his clock, which showed it was actually five minutes later than he'd remembered. He picked up the cup of ramen, discarding the top, and his chopsticks, stirring it around a bit. Bringing a small clump of the noodles held between the two sticks, he bit down, and just quickly ate it. He really didn't feel hungry.
For a few minutes, he just sat there, staring down at the ramen, before tossing it into the sink, with the chopsticks, and heading towards his room. Wearing nothing but bandages and boxers made him pretty cold, so he went to his closet, going through it and pulling on soft, black, silky pants and taking a white jacket and sliding into it. He decided against wearing any form of shoes, and simply made his way to his door, exiting into the cold of the night, shivering a bit and hugging the jacket against his body. Carefully, Naruto looked around him, making sure no one was there, before jumping onto the roof of his house, starting towards another's house, jumping silently from roof to roof. It was really cold out, but it was late and that wasn't too surprising.
He finally stopped, standing in front of a door, his left hand in a loose fist--as it hurt far too much to form a real fist--only an inch away from the door. He gulped, looking down at his face.
"Tell him..." he whispered, shaking a bit. "Say sorry, and... It can't be that hard..." His voice was so inaudible he could barely hear himself saying it. His fist beat twice upon the outside of the door.
His arm fell to hung at his side after he heard the beats going through his own ears. He stared, and after a second he was staring at his teammate, who looked surprised to see him. Probably more so because he was in nothing but a towel, using a second, smaller one to dry his hair.
"Uhm, Naruto-kun," He sort of twitched, then shivered by the cold air against his near-naked body. He ushered the blonde in, who complied, and quickly closed the door. "Uhm, something I can do for you...?" He leaned against a wall, the skirt-like towel around his hips tight and pretty wet. It was really warm inside, and the both were probably grateful for it. Sasuke continued to rub his hair dry with the smaller towel.
Naruto pulled his jacket off, sitting in a chair and hugging the towel to his chest, staring down at it, frowning. "I'm... I'm really sorry about earlier, Sasuke-kun... I was..."
"Oh, uh, no! No, don't be sorry... It was reasonable and understandable... I probably shouldn't have done that..." He looked away, hiding the majority of his face with the towel. "I should be the one apologizing, really."
"Please, don't... Listen, Sasuke-kun, I swear, I really did kill him, though they won't tell anyone I killed Iruka-sensei... They'll say he's on missions or something, I think... I'm really scarred, though; if they keep his death a secret, then I don't know what they'll do with me, for being the one who killed him... They're probably going to track me down..." He pulled his hands to his face, whimpering a bit. "I can't tell Sakura-chan; she's Tsunade-dono's pupil, and all, and she'll end up having to tell, since she's always around Hokage-sama... They're going to track me down and kill me." Naruto couldn't bring himself to look up at Sasuke.
"Please try to calm down. I'm sure they wouldn't do something like that... You're too powerful, too much of an asset, to our village for them to do that..."
"That's why they'd do it!" he suddenly cried out, pulling his knees to his face. "Because of my strength..."
"Naruto-kun..." He sighed, walking over to the other and just putting a hand on his head, before removing it and dissapearing behind a curtain. The towels were both on the floor behind the curtain, where Sasuke was getting dressed. "Really, they... I'm sure they wouldn't. Not to you. Tsunade-dono knows you, she gave you that necklace, right? She trusts you, and I'm sure with the situation and all..."
Naruto looked over at the curtain. He sort of twitched, picturing Sasuke naked behind the thin, white veil, then looked away, his face feeling a bit warmer than usual. "I guess, but... still..."
The Uchiha came out mere seconds later, in black, loose shorts and a white sleeveless shirt. He pulled a chair in front of Naruto's, sitting cross-legged on it, watching the blonde. He sighed. "Naruto-kun, I really doubt Tsunada-dono, of all people, would allow you to be killed."
The blonde nodded, looking over directly at the Uchiha. "Whatever you say, I still think..." He shook his head. "I'm probably being such a bother, sorry, Sasuke-kun... I should shut up now..." He closed his eyes, hiding his face again against his knees. "I probably shouldn't have even come over..."
"Is that why you came over, though? To talk to me about that?"
"I... No, it was to apologize for how I reacted earlier in the hospital about an hour ago, or however long it was, to what you did... I really should have thought before I said that... Sorry..."
"No, no, it's quite alright. Honestly, really, Naruto-kun." He smiled, sort of, then stood up, walking over to the futon in a corner, drapped in dark grays, navys and blacks with a blood-red single pillow. "Its late... If you want, you can always stay in here, you know, if you want." He slid under the blankets, laying on his side, facing the blonde shinobi.
"I... wouldn't want to be a pest. I really should go..." He shook his head, frowning, looking away sadly.
"Its really no bother." He sat up quickly, sliding from the bed and going over to a closet, rummaging through it. He pulled out two blankets and a pillow, shutting the door with his foot and walking over to a mat that was on the floor near his own bed, which was puffy and extremely soft. He set the blankets down, throwing a pillow to the top area and laying out the blankets quickly so that they'd be easy to curl under and all.
Naruto watched him, not feeling like arguing. He didn't feel well, and was pretty tired and all, and his wounds hurt like hell. He felt a lot safer here, too, strangely more so than he did at home. Like his home had danger lurking there, or something. "Thanks..." he finally said, going towards Sasuke's bed where next to it the temporary, comfortable-looking area was. He sat down, watching Sasuke climb back into his own bed, before laying down. It was really comfortable. Sasuke turned out a light, but a heater in the corner glowed a soft red so that it was completely dark. "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun..." He pulled the blankets over his shoulders, curling up a bit and closing his eyes tightly.
"'Night, Naruto-kun." Sasuke pulled a thin blanket over his body. He was facing where Naruto was, watching the back that faced him. He lost track of time, and after awhile, the blonde turned around, looking adorable, so his back was away to Sasuke. The Uchiha grinned a bit, before closing his eyes, attempting something towards sleep.
"Tsunade-sensei, Naruto-kun's not in his room!"
Tsunade looked up from her papers to the pink-clothed young woman who stood in front of her desk. "Sakura... You're sure?" She stood up, following quickly after her apprentice. "This is very serious, you know..."
Sakura nodded, opening the door to reveal the area with the slightly-ajar windows. "I looked at his house, the memorial stone, and all his favorite places. Asked around. No one's seen him..."
"This isn't good. He's dangerous... Sakura, don't take this the wrong way, because he's your teammate and all, but we have to have him hunted down. You and Sasuke-kun already did a mission similar to this, however I am going to send out you and Kakashi. He, his body, and anything else that might have to do with him are to be completely destroyed, understand? If he goes after that sword again, and can get it, he might kill us all. He's already killed Iruka."
Sakura gasped, pulling her hands to her face, frowning heavily. "Obliterate him? I... Yes, Hokage-sama. I will go inform Kakashi-sensei and we'll get on it right away." She disappeared, practically, using her jutsu.
Tsunade frowned, closing her eyes, her voice an inaudible whisper. "Naruto-kun... You've done this, again? That necklace that I'd given you years ago, four years ago, is so dear to me. It is dear to me that you own it and use your strength wisely... I'm sorry I've had to order this, but as Hokage... I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun..." She headed back to her room, slumping down in her chair once she was there. She let a long, displeased sigh, then closed her eyes. "Oh, damn it... This has to have been the worst week of my life, the absolute worst..."
Sakura stood next to Kakashi, walking with him. As usual, he had a book in hand, and was reading it. He stopped, hiding it within his vest, looking down at her and giving a nod. "Alright, so that's what Tsunade said eh? Then we should hurry up and go. No time to waist. We'll search his house, and ask around again. Its still really early, though, only around eight. Sun's barely even out."
"Alright, let's go." They both sped off, stopping once they were inside Naruto's house, after opening the unlocked door. They looked around, seeing how messy it was inside. Kakashi examined all throughout Naruto's room--in the closet and even under the damn futon--and, of course, failed. Sakura ended up exploring the rest of the house, but nothing came up other than proof that he had been there that night--there were some bandages that had a bit of fresh blood on them that she remembered putting on Naruto just the day previously.
"Alright, no clues at all here. You've already asked around, right? Nobody had seen him. Honestly, that doesn't surprise me..." He put one hand to the half of his face that was veiled by some sort of black cloth. "I don't know what we do now but try and track him down. Ask the other seven. Have you talked to Sasuke?"
"No, I checked his favorite places and everything, though. He hates Sasuke-kun, so I didn't ask him yet... I'll go ask him now."
"No, I'll do that. You go ask the other seven."
"Alright," he said, nodding, then disappearing. She disappeared, too.
Sasuke stood up straight, staring still down at the sleeping form of his teammate who was curled up in an adorable ball, hugging the pillow to his chest. He smiled a bit, then turned around, jumping a bit when he heard a knocking on his door. He sighed, muttering something, then quickly went over to the door. Luckily, Naruto, behind him, hadn't woken up yet. Damn, he looked adorable, and Sasuke was thinking about it. His face felt a little hot, so before opening the door he shook thoughts out of his head. He pulled in the door, staring at Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei... What is it?" He stepped aside, so his instructor could come in. Which he did. Kakashi looked straight over, seeing Naruto curled up like that nearby Sasuke's bed.
"Hmn, so this is where he came? Or did you get him to come?" Kakashi arched the one eye that was visible, staring at Sasuke.
"He came over around eleven and all. He just said he didn't feel safe at his own house after what happened." It was only half a lie; he was sure that's probably how it was, but he wasn't sure. It was a guess, and a good one. "So I let him sleep here... What?"
"Oh, well Sakura and I have been pretty worried. Sasuke, actually, there's a problem. Its been ordered that he is to be destroyed, because of everything. I'll have to take him, now, Sasuke, into custody for the ANBU to dispose of him." He took a step forward, but Sasuke suddenly grabbed his arm.
Kakashi was silent for a second, then finally spoke. "You're trembling..."
"Kakashi-sensei," He looked up, suddenly, half glaring, half attempting to hide sadness and fear. "I don't believe I'm able to accept this."
"Well, Sasuke, you really have absolutely no say in the matter. It is a direct order by Tsunade-dono."
"I refuse this order." He glared up at the gray-haired man. "Now, do please leave my house, Kakashi-sensei. I have a guest who hasn't slept in a log time." Sasuke was sort of pushing him away, now.
Kakashi turned around, starting to leave. "Bring him to me later. I know you don't want to, but you have to or the both of you will be killed. Sasuke, when he's awake, bring him to Tsunade's office." He didn't even wait for a response before leaving through the door.
The Uchiha looked over his shoulder, seeing Naruto who was still asleep. He walked over to the other male, kneeling next to him, reaching out and touching his cheek tenderly with the tip of his finger. He was trembling, so he quickly had to retract his hand and just sat down so his knees wouldn't fall asleep; criss-cross style. Sasuke, giving a light sigh, stood again, grabbing a bookbag and starting to pack it. He filled whatever he could with some weapons and such, a thin blanket and a first aid kit. Then, he got two outfits--both of them with white, long pants and sleeveless white shirts with black belts and black bandanas. He picked up his forehead protector, the steel-plated headband with the symbol of the village on it, and folded it so that the metal plate was hidden, then hid it within the bag. He walked over to Naruto, taking off the blonde's forehead protector while not waking him up, and doing the same, only he tied it in a different way to distinguish between the two. His had a lot of scrapes and such, unlike Naruto's, so that would probably work, too.
He was staring at himself in the mirror of his bathroom, frowning. Cold water was pouring from the faucet, and his hands were under it. They moved up, after collecting water, and splashed the clear liquid onto his face. He rubbed it into his eyes and all over his head before turning off the faucet, getting a hand-towel and rubbing his face dry with it. He took a few slow, deep breaths, leaning back a bit and staring at his reflection after he finished drying it off.
"Damn it," he whispered, closing his eyes tightly. Reopening them, he walked over to a drawer, opening it. From it, he pulled out the two weapons he'd gotten for a get-well present not long prior, and put them carefully in a small, unused section of his bookbag on the inside. Above the drawer, on the table top, was the book Naruto had given him, and next to it, the picture of Ino and Sakura. He smirked a bit, touching it. He figured the two were a lot like Naruto and himself; they were, in a way, friends, but they were rivals, as well. Driving each other to do better, to attempt to become better than the other. And each was exceptionably strong.
Only... the relationship between those two is a lot different from ours...
Sasuke looked over at Naruto, feeling a tug of anxiety in his chest. He suddenly flinched when he heard a light knocking at his door. He walked over to the door, but when his hand rested on the door knob, he stopped, feeling restless. Slowly, he turned it, opening it. He saw Sakura, who was looking around quickly. She pushed passed him, urging him quietly to quickly close the door. She had a her backpack on her back, which she set down. He half glared at her, hating the sight of her for some reason. She was the disciple of Tsunade, so she'd follow the orders of not only her Hokage but her Sensei.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, a bit spitefully, locking the door.
"Sasuke-kun, you know that Tsunade-sensei is, well, just that. She is our Hokage, too. However... you two are my teammates and I worry greatly about you. It devastated me to hear what her plan was for Naruto-kun. Please, understand and believe me when I say I don't want to carry out her orders. We are all Chunin, considered as A-rank shinobi of Konohagakure. As a shinobi of that level, I would be obliged to follow all orders given by the Hokage. However, as your teammate, I am obliged to disobey. Its just like Kakashi-sensei said... 'In the world of the shinobi, those who violate the rules and laws are considered trash. However, those that would abandon their comrades are worse than trash.' I may be trash, but I'll be damned if I'm worse than trash!"
He stared at her for a silent moment, her eyes meeting his before trailing off to look over at Naruto.
"Sasuke-kun, you can understand, right? I want to help you, in some way."
"How do you think you can help, then, huh?" He walked over to his bag, going through another drawer and sliding explosion tags and a chain-linked kunais in another part of his bag that was meant for weapon holding. He sighed.
"I... I am a medical nin, Sasuke-kun. I... I know what you're planning to do, and-"
"You can't come with us. That will put you on the tracker's list, as well, Sakura-chan." He looked over at her for a second, then back to Naruto.
"I know that, really I do! Honestly, I don't care... I'd rather have that than let them do such a thing to Naruto. And to you, too, Sasuke-kun..."
"You can't come with us." He zipped up his bag, and buckled whatever needed it, before taking the bag on his back and standing above Naruto. "Naruto-kun, wake up." He prodded the blonde's side gently with his foot.
"I'm coming whether you want me to or not." She pulled her book bag on her back, crossing her arms.
"Fine, but stay out of our way. Naruto!"
Naruto suddenly jumped up, looking around, in nothing but the soft, loose pants. He stared at Sasuke for a minute, then at Sakura. "Uhm, good morning... Is there a mission or something, why we're all three here?"
"Something like that. Get your jacket on and get dressed. There's a pair of your clothes in the bathroom. Might want to hurry up, too." Sasuke slid his fingers into the pockets of his pants.
"You have a pair of my clothes here?" He twitched, sort of backing away.
"I got them last night when I learned of the mission, since there's no time. Hurry up."
"Oh, alright, Sasuke-kun." He looked over at Sakura, who was silent, before turning and starting for the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later, in his normal clothes, with the pants in one hand. Sasuke signaled for him to just drop them somewhere, so he did. "So, what's the mission?" He zipped up the front of his jacket, moving the collar around his neck a bit.
"I can't tell you here, but Kakashi won't be joining us. He isn't to know. Sakura-chan, if you know all about it, feel free to lead us off." He looked over at Sakura, who nodded, opening the door and looking around.
"All clear, let's go. We have to use Shunshin,"
"Alright, ready Naruto?" Sasuke looked over to the blonde, who nodded.
Each activated their techniques.
"There is no sign of Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura have also seemed to disappear. I believe that, regardless of their level within their village and how much they are respected as near S-class shinobi, they stck together as a team. They might have run off... However, because of her affiliation with you, I don't know why Sakura might be joining them." Kakashi had his arms crossed over his chest.
"They are scarred of their teammate being destroyed. They probably think that they're above the laws. Kakashi, I'm putting you in charge of hunting the three of them down and destroying them with your dog tracker force. You will be the only one, alright? All three of them must be killed. Sakura will not betray Konohagakure, so, actually, it will be Sasuke and Naruto that you are to get rid of."Tsunade looked up from her seat, sort of nodding her head. "Go, now."
"Right," He disappeared, using his technique. When he was outside, on the roof, there was a large group of dogs around him, sniffing about. One caught a scent, and the rest of the team--including Kakashi--followed after it.
"There is no doubt they will be searching for us..." Sakura whispered, dangling her legs over the side of the high rock. Sasuke and Naruto where next to the stream, each on opposite sides. Sakura, noticing neither of them had on their forehead protectors, quickly took hers off. They weren't watching her. She stared at it for a second, then hid the metal plate by folding the cloth over it and tying it. Her bookbag was open next to her. She pushed the protector down to the bottom of the bag. "So, that makes us rogue. We're official nukenin, right?"
Sasuke looked up at the pink-haired girl. "Yeah."
"What are you two talking about?" Naruto suddenly screamed, staring from Sasuke to Sakura. "Nukenin, rogue? Searching for us? I thought this was a mission!"
"To some extent, Naruto-kun, it is. However..." Sasuke turned to face him. "You were right, last night. They have put a death warrant on you, official today by Tsunade-Hokage. It isn't really any variety of official mission, however our priority is survival. Sakura persuaded me to her coming."
"Where... are we supposed to go, then?" He gulped, looking at the two.
"There aren't really that many places we can go... I don't know." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "Iwagakure, perhaps? We could go back to Nami no Kuni, maybe."
"If we go back to Nami no Kuni, we could tell them that Naruto-kun was falsely accused of treason against Konohagakure, and I'm sure that they'd understand. We could probably live with Tazuna and Tsunami." Sakura suggested, nodding. She closed her bag, pulling it onto her back and standing up.
Naruto frowned, closing his eyes, before nodding, and looking over at Sasuke. His voice was pretty shaky. "We're... never going to go back to Konohagakure, then... are we?"
Sasuke shrugged. "We might be able to, eventually, so... try not to worry about it. Alright, it'll take a couple of days to reach Nami no Kuni, and a few hours with Shunshin. Using Shunshin so much might not be such a good idea, though. We'll go halfway with Shunshin then instead of traveling across the water itself, we'll get a ride. Alright?" He looked from Naruto, who nodded, to Sakura, who did the same.
