Author's Note: Wow, I'm actually surprised at how fast I managed to get this thing up. I guess that's just what happens when you have a billion things to do for school and don't want to do any of them. -sweatdrop-

Anyhow, not much I can say about this one. We finally get a glimpse into the time Sasuke spent with Orochimaru, but other than that and some fairly striking teamwork on the parts of both him and the idiot one, this chapter is fairly dry. -sweatdrop- I'm glad you guys liked the little bit of SasuNaruSasu (whatever) goop in the last chapter. And I know some of you didn't like it. Well, too bad, it's necessary to the story. :P

Reviewer Responses:

From now on, I will be employing the IaD method of reviewer responses, because I simply do not have the time to thank/answer every single reviewer. -SWEAT- And so, each chapter, I will randomly select five reviewers to answer to, though each review will be read and stored in a special place in my heart. Flames will be used to respectfully cremate all the victims that died of the sappiness of my last statement.

melmit: Thanks so much for your nice review! Yeah, I'm sorry the plot is so... drawn out... -kicks self- ...but I was hoping that little bit of action would give you guys a little pinch, just to remind you that the action will be there eventually, no matter how slow I am, LOL.

KidaYuri: I am SO happy I picked your review! I swear, I laughed out loud when I read it the first time (and the second, and third..), and it was largely that one that gave me the firm kick in the butt that I needed to get moving on the story again. So THANK YOU THANK YOU! -glomp- And yeah, Naruto was SO confused, LMAOz.

Patty: HAHA, I wish all their fights ended like that, lol. Thanks for your review!

Kisu: LOL, thanks! I'm really glad you liked the kiss scene. Haha, if I ever saw that at a christmas party, though, I'm pretty sure I'd pass out from blood loss. I swear, I had a mental nosebleed just writing the chapter! XD

Yu-lin: Haha, thank you so much, I'm happy you liked it! Surprisingly, Iruka was actually the easiest part in the whole chapter to write! I hope I can do as well through the rest of the story... -sweat-

Thank you all your amazing reviews! I'm just floored every word of encouragement. You all help keep me going! -hugs you all-

Disclaimer and everything else: See the first two chapters, because I'm too lazy to state all that stuff again. :P

Would it be so bad If you were to pretend
That you were so happy? Keep it to yourself
Don't let the secret go If you were so willing, but...

Let's pray for the suicide
And all these pictures falling down around me
I've surrounded myself with all I have inside

-Finch
Grey Matter

Locked Crimsons

Unit Seven: Grey Matter

Meanwhile, in the Room of Torture (or so Naruto had deemed it the moment Iruka slammed the door shut behind them)...

"Now Naruto," the brunette began, "I want you to take it from the top."

"The top of what?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"Firstly, why were you kissing Sasuke?"

The blond took a deep breath and prepared to explain. "Well, we were standing under the mistletoe and Shikamaru happened to catch us, and then the Hyuugas came, and Kiba and Chouji, and then the girls, and I knew there was no way I was going to make it out of there alive if I didn't."

Iruka took a moment to process this. "So why did you get yourself stuck standing under the mistletoe to begin with? You knew it was there, you watched Sakura put up all the decorations."

"Well we weren't really paying attention to it at the time."

"Because you were too busy fighting."

"Yeah, so what if-" Naruto suddenly paused. "Wait, how did you know we were fighting?"

"It wasn't hard to guess. You two looked like you were trying to kill each other, even while your mouths were attached." Iruka had to stifle a smile in order to remain authoritative.

"Really?" Naruto chuckled at the his perception, supposing that it was true, considering that was, in reality, the case.

"Yeah, that, or you were about to do some very indecent things in the middle of my hallway."

At this, Naruto blushed ridiculously. "We were not!" He stammered. "Iruka! How could you even say something like that? This is Sasuke were talking about! Sasuke who is a guy, and worse, himself, might I remind you!"

"That didn't seem to stop you from kissing the daylights out of him." Realizing they were getting off track, Iruka cut off the blond's next retort in favor of a new question. "Anyway, what were you fighting about?"

The boy didn't answer right away. Instead, he thought about how to word it so that Iruka wouldn't find out exactly what had happened that night at Sasuke's house. He wanted Tsunade, Sasuke, and himself to be the only ones to know. "Just him being an asshole, as usual."

Iruka sighed. "You two haven't seen each other more than a handful of times in the last six months. What's usual?"

Naruto's train of thought came to an abrupt halt with the realization of Iruka's point. Just what was usual for them now? How could they expect the same kind of behavior from each other that they'd exhibited when they were younger? Naruto walked took a few steps toward the door, suddenly eager to get back to his guests, or maybe just one in particular.

"He hasn't changed. Sasuke is Sasuke is Sasuke. He's way too stubborn to let stupid Orochimaru change him."

Leaving Iruka to cringe at such blunt mention of the snake's name, Naruto thought about how much he would've liked to believe his own words.


There was a lot of smoke. There was always a lot of smoke. The place he felt most comfortable in the entire village was beneath that tree, but it gave such a clear view of the smoke that it still almost made him pity the people that lived nearby.

But there was more smoke than usual that day, which could only mean one thing:

Orochimaru's toy was out of the oven. And even Sasuke wouldn't be aloud to see it.

It was only two days later that it happened, but Sasuke had been sensing it already for the half a year or so. He'd been sitting under the tree that reminded him of a place long forgotten when the shadows descended.

"Little brother, how big you've gotten since last I saw you."

"Itachi. Get lost."

"The snake has taught you self-restraint, I see."

"Shut up and leave, unless you want to see what else he's taught me."

"Sasuke..."

"Look at you, panting and heaving. You'll never defeat that which is stronger than you."

"Hey, Sasuke-bastard!"

"Then would you renounce your own blood?"

"I will renounce your blood!" Sasuke's free hand shot out to clench his brother's neck.

It felt so... warm...

"...Naruto?"

Dark eyes snapped fully open. Naruto crouched before him in the tree, gritting his teeth but making no move to fight against the hand firmly secured beneath his chin.

Sasuke recoiled immediately, but said nothing. No apology, no explanation.

The blond rubbed for a moment at the abused skin, but otherwise showed no signs of being affected. "Geez, bastard, what were you dreaming that you'd just lash out like that?"

"I... don't know," Sasuke lied. Of course he knew. On the rare occasions that he'd had dreams since he returned to Konoha, it had always been the same dream. He changed the topic. "Why didn't you defend yourself from the attack?"

"Well," Naruto replied, "I kinda figured you were still dreaming. Besides, I'd have kicked your ass, and then I'd have had to deal with a bitchier you than usual."

"I doubt that," Sasuke smirked.

"We're just gonna have to find out, then!" Naruto grinned right back, honestly excited to have a chance to spar with his ex-rival again while they were on civil terms. Unfortunately for him, though, it would have to wait.

"Not right now." Naruto visibly pouted. "What did you want? To pick up where we left off?"

Suddenly remembering Iruka's interpretation of "where Sasuke and he had left off," the blond felt his face begin to burn. In embarrassment, of course. And he knew that that wasn't what Sasuke was talking about, anyway. "Yeah, sure."

"Okay," the dark-haired boy assented, adjusting his position on the branch of the tree in which they both sat, "and you're going to tell me the truth this time."

Naruto sighed exasperatedly. "I told you the truth the first time, jerk. And it's the same truth that I'm going to tell you again and again until I pound it into your thick skull."

Sasuke felt himself becoming angry again, but forced himself to think objectively about the situation, lest they just end up in the same predicament thet got into the first time.

"Well, obviously, our stories differ on key points. Since we were the only ones there, though, we don't have anyone to verify the facts for us." He paused for a moment to try thinking of another solution. He knew by now that Naruto wasn't going to back down from his story, so they might as well try for some kind of compromise. "Could you explain what happened once more? Be as detailed as you can... like you're giving a mission report or something."

"Okay, I guess." Naruto cleared his mind as best he could and attempted to recall everything. Could Sasuke really not remember what happened?


"And then I said I'd see you around, grabbed my coat and zori, and left," Naruto finished decisively.

Sasuke gave him a stern look. "You're sure that's exactly what happened?"

The blond nodded. "Right down to the kind of tea you served."

"And I remember the tea, too, so I know your memory is accurate in at least that part. The place that our versions seem to branch off is..."

"...When I pinned you to the floor..."

"...and you called me by my surname. You said that's when I 'snapped,' right?"

"Right. You say you passed out, but I say you flipped out. But they couldn't both be true, could they?" Silence reigned for a few moments as the two boys tried to rearrange and organize their thoughts. "Well," Naruto finally continued, "is it possible that... both of them are true?"

Sasuke looked confusedly to cerulean eyes.

"That is to say, maybe there's something we haven't considered. Like maybe... no, nevermind, that couldn't have been it..." the blonde idly mumbled until it occurred him to ask, "Sasuke? Um... have you ever felt any kind of weird reaction to your surname before then? Or since then, for that matter?"

The dark-haired boy seemed incredulous at the implications of Naruto's question. "What exactly are you getting at, here?"

"I'm just trying to think outside the box," the boy explained. "I mean, we aren't getting anywhere with your traditional critical thinking. Maybe you should start thinking like me for once!"

Watching a grin spread across the whiskered face, Sasuke sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, the other boy was right, they weren't getting anywhere thinking so... linearly. If they were going to solve the puzzle, they were going to have to think in as many dimensions as possible, ruling out no possibilities even if it means compromising one's pride. And when he thought about it...

"Yes, earlier tonight. You called me by my surname while we were fighting near the door, just before Shikamaru came. I felt something like... being overtaken with emotion, though I can't really say that I felt anything. Like there was some other part of me feeling those emotions that was separate from the me that was standing there fighting with you."

Naruto allowed this information time to sink into his brain, hopefully enough so that he'd remember it the next day. "Sasuke, I think we're getting somewhere now, but would you agree to come and see Tsunade-baachan tomorrow anyway?"

Sasuke's first instinct was to protest. "Naruto, I really don't think-"

"She would be the only one to see you or hear anything about it that you tell, other than me. And hell, if you didn't want me to know about it, I'd even leave you alone, okay? I swear, on my nindo. Just please say you'll go?" Naruto's expression was mildly hopeful, though his words were every bit as serious as the boy could make them.

"...Why are you insisting like this?" Sasuke asked.

"Why'd you stay at the party?"

The question was pondered for a second or two. "Fine, I'll go. By the way, about that kiss..."


tbc!

Y'know, sometimes, it takes a little while to get me going on a new chapter, and I have to just let my idiocy flow for a few lines before something decent actually comes out. If any of you out there are Star Trek geeks like me and have seen the fourth movie (a billion times), you'll probably get this.

Omake!

Meanwhile, in the Room of Torture (or so Naruto had deemed it the moment Iruka slammed the door shut behind them)...

"Now Naruto," Iruka began, "I want you to take it from the top."

"The top of what?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"Name."

"My name?"

"No, my name," Iruka said sarcastically, becoming frustrated.

"Your name's Iruka, Umino Iruka," the blond answered.

"You play games with me, young man, and you're through."

"I am?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, resembling a child. "May I go now?"

A vein popped on Iruka's forehead, and Uzumaki Naruto wasn't seen or heard from again the entire night.


And there you have it! A new, horrible chapter.

Is it just me, or are these things getting worse as I go? -sweat-