The Crimson Trail

/bleh/ Naruto talking to Kyuubi mentally.

/Idiot! I told you, your actions would have consequences! You should have heeded my warning, and maybe now you wouldn't be pining for the outsider. /

Embarrassed Naruto had shielded his face from view, even though Tsunade could not hear the conversation between vessel and host she appeared to be pleased with Naruto's affronted reaction.

/I'm not pining! And how was I supposed to know this was going to happen? I just wanted to help!/

Kyuubi had released an unconvinced snort. /You aren't that naïve kit. You knew damn well as soon as you left the Hokage tower that night what you were going to do. You can lie to everybody else, but I know you better than you know yourself. As our Chakras merge you pick up more of my traits that's why the Hokage and your chaperones were so eager to find you a match. When Kitsune mate it's for life, soon enough you and I will be one. /

Naruto groaned, shaking his head in denial.

/ I did it to save his life. They were going to slit his throat, for crying out loud! Why am I taking so much heat because of it!? /

"Where's that smart-ass mouth I'm so used to hearing?" Within that moment bright cobalt blues met hot honey color ones. What could he say? They were naked and grinding right in front of her. Oh, and did he mention they were naked?

So, what could he say? Did you like the show, would have been a tad bit inappropriate.

"We will straighten this out… And as for you!" She jabbed her index finger in his direction. "I forbid you to go near that damn Uchiha! If you so much as breath near him I will kill him Naruto, and I am not joking!"

Something had snapped in Naruto something primal and raw without a second thought. He had leaped to his feet, slamming the side of his palm on the edge of her desk with enough force to splinter the wood beneath his now white knuckles.

"You know what Tsunade-baa-can, I do choose my mate, and you as well as Konoha have no choice but to respect my decision. I'm not a child anymore." It was Tsunade's turn to stand, as she mimicked his action.

"So you choose some damn outsider over your village! Stupid boy! He doesn't love you, and he never will. I know without a shadow of a doubt Kyuubi-sama will agree with me on this one!"

/The female has a point/

/Shut up-shut up-shut up!/

Normally, Naruto was an ace at hiding his emotions with a cheerful exterior. So when tears began to well up in the corner of his eyes he did not mean for it to happen. His lower lip trembling with frustration. He was getting attacked from both angles, what is more, Tsunade was not one to make idle threats. She was a savage when the occasion called for it.

"Fine!" His voice cracked as he spun in his scandals leaving her to deliberate over her threat, but not before pulling the office door so hard that it came off its hinges.

He would go to the one place where no one would find him The Kage Monument. He had withdrawn his mind link with the nine-tail demon fox. Naruto was mentally and psychically drained to hear another scolding.

For the most part, the villagers never traveled up to the monument it was forbidden. The Kage Monument was built into the wall with the previous Kages' faces carved into the inner surface.

His favorite spot was right at the peak of his father's head that's where he could get his peace, taking his frustrations out on a lone stone that unfortunately came across his path. He chewed his lower lip raw to no accord. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he mulled over everything. Huffing in defeat, Naruto had given up plopping down like a starfish on his back. The teen took to inspecting the various clouds that drifted overhead, silently wishing he could hitch a ride on their majestic journey across Fire country, within minutes his eyes grew heavy until he was fast asleep.

It had been the middle of the night when the Hokage approached him.

"Where the hell is he!"

She caught Sasuke in an open-legged stance his sparring partner nothing more than a beaten-up wooden Wing Chun dummy. Supposedly, after Naruto and his tussle in the hay, Tsunade had reluctantly let him leave the manor. He was allowed to roam the immediate grounds, so this excluded the shopping square of the village, the Hokage tower, the borders, and their prized monument. He had no clue what had set her off this time. The raven paused in his ministrations before meeting her probing gaze.

"Is he here?" Sasuke shrugged at her inquiry, hoping that it would end her absurd mistrust, by now her knuckles were turning white.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Maybe, my mate wants to be left alone," he countered.

Who in their right mind would want to be around some screeching old cow all day?

"Or maybe you just want to keep him ensnared in your bed chambers. It's so typical you outsiders are all the same, transparent through and through, you are only out for your selfish gain! Naruto doesn't know any better and you know that."

The Hokage had picked up something that looked similar to a medium size boulder. She hurled it his way, which only took a slight tilt of Sasuke's head to elude the rock, on Sasuke's part. Instead, it smashed into the dummy's head breaking it clear off.

"Your playtime is over," She hissed, before spinning on her soles and storming in the direction of the manor. He glared Kunai at her back but proceeded to march behind her at a leisurely pace.

If his mate wanted to be alone, then why not give him that?

The first place she checked was his bedroom, of course, he faulted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I know he's here! He's gotta be here." The golden-haired matriarch had dropped to her knees, her eyes wide with fright. "I had my Shinobi check everywhere…" Her blonde brows came together as a worried crease formed in-between them. "Where the hell can he be if not here."

And then she turned her gaze towards Sasuke's stoic features. "I'll make you a deal if you help me find him. You have my permission to leave the manor and roam the village as you damn well, please. Just help me find him. I think right now you're the only one who can convince him to come out of hiding."

"What about his nanny Kakashi isn't he one of your top trackers- "

"I sent him with a small group around our region, there had been outsiders coming too close to our borders. I don't know why I am telling you this. We gotta leave now the more we sit here playing twenty-one questions the less we have a chance of finding him."

"Right," had Naruto truly run off? It would make sense. He was far too curious about the outside world, and Naruto would relish every moment he got to find out more about the world outside of paradise. The Uchiha-heir paused once they reached the same spot where he was to be executed which was the downtown district where all the marketplaces and Kage tower stood.

He watched as Tsunade commenced to bark out orders at three other Shinobi. He noticed Sakura was standing next to a girl with waist-length jet-black hair and pale eyes, once that girl's eyes encountered his eye, she responded with a blush down casting her exotic gaze. Lastly, there was a guy Shinobi with a bowl cut and massive brows and large round eyes. He seemed intrigued with Sasuke he beamed a smiled at him fully ready to speak just before he was interrupted.

"Sakura you search west of the wall, Hinata you search east, Sasuke you take north and Rock Lee you take south, meet back at my tower at sunrise. Oh and here." She tossed them each a rolled-up scroll to take with them, "Place this on his forehead it'll stun him long enough for us to plan our next step carefully."

She met Sasuke's gaze this was his test, and if he failed it would add more fuel to her fire.

It had been the arctic bite that had first woken Naruto from his slumber. He squinted at the due droplets cascading down his whiskered cheeks and plump lower lip. How long was I out for? It felt strange talking to himself without a snide remark to follow. In a blink, he sat up rubbing the moisture from his face. Wet golden strands clung for dear life on his neck setting for involuntary shimmers.

I better head back he heard a familiar voice calling his name from the distance. At first, it was only Sakura, but then his sensitive ears picked up Hinata and then Rock Lee.

Somehow that had struck a nerve with him. So she sent a search party after him! He couldn't even vent in peace! Okay, if she's so worried about me leaving then how about I give her a reason to be? He rushed over to the edge of the monument diving off the peak towards the oblivious village below. Only to land on a nearby rooftop doing a front flip off the rooftop and onto the dirt road below, before heading in the direction of the gates.

They would be unable to track him with his chakra signature suppressed, and yet he placed his fingers together in his signature technique Kage Bunshin no Jutsu instead of thousands, he only created three clones of himself all three copies splitting up, one going east the other going west and lastly south, now with a newfound purpose. He was all gamed. He smirked, bring it.

He could sense his friends giving chase to his duplicates leaving his path without a hindrance. He leaped back on another rooftop hopping from one house to the next with enough force to knock the clay tiles from atop. It was a common practice in Konoha to take to the rooftop they were a village of shinobi after all. He felt the burst of chakra as one of his friends caught up to his clone breaking the Jutsu. Shit, I should never underestimate my friends. It did not matter he was home free anyhow. As the large cast-iron gates grew steady close with a bound.

Once he was at a reasonable distance to be undetected by the Jonin posted outside. He bent his knees ready to clear the gate in one single bound, yet as soon as his soles left the rooftop and were airborne that was when something hit him with enough force to knock him off course. He collided with the dirt road rolling once before he was up again, but this time on all four, using his nails to help stop his yard-long slide.

Baring his canines at the shinobi with raven-haired. He jerked his head up in time to see Sasuke crossing his arms. "You didn't think it'll be that easy did you?"

Slowly the teen stood at his full height before dusting his pants leg. "Honesty, maybe a little … Oh hello, there Tsunade-baa-chan." Sasuke had turned ready to scold that overbearing woman.

"Ah ha! Sucker!"

Immediately, Sasuke cursed out loud as he glanced behind himself only to see that no one was there. The moment that happened the blonde took to the roofs again, this time, getting closer to his previous goal but what Naruto fail to know was Sasuke's bloodline his ebony iris looping crimson and ebony in a pinwheel style.

He had obtained his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan from an ex-lover. He leaped onto the same roof as the blonde once again blocking his way.

"Your ass is mine!" Sasuke declared.

The youth's mouth twisted into a haughty side grin, he would take that over dry humping any day. "I'm not that easy."

"So you're denying what happened between us or was it all a blur to you?"

The blonde had groaned jerking his head to the side, trying in vain to hide the rosy tint gradually spreading across the bridge of his nose.

"Err... Why would you…" Shaking his head he growled before rushing towards the Uchiha-heir. He ducked and attempted to slide between Sasuke's legs; However, the raven-haired shinobi had already predicted the move, grasping his left ankle and pulling him from between his legs.

The youth's nails raked across the clay rooftop and he tried to find something to grasp onto but was unsuccessful. Naruto did not want to fight even if he was sort of enjoying it. His heart was throbbing so fast to the point that he felt like he could go soaring straight to the moon. He was able to wiggle his left foot free crawling on his hands and knees before positioning himself into a crouch.

"You could come with me." His words seemed to slice through the still night air, and as their eyes met Sasuke knew now just how serious Naruto was, steady he stood both hands balled at his side.

"You're just mad right, and you don't mean any of it brat."

"Watch me," Naruto was tired of everybody, even Sasuke wasn't listening to him. Fine! Even though he hated the idea of fighting he'll do what he had to get it across their minds. He positioned him in a classic Jujutsu stance his open palm pointing at the raven-haired shinobi. Sasuke could not stop as he cocked a brow at the youth curiously. In a blink, the blonde had struck aiming the back of his fist at the Uchiha-heir neck, which Sasuke quickly blocked with the outer part of his arm. Naruto tried striking again this time with Sasuke's stomach but once again the raven avoided by shifting back.

"Are you done?" The raven smirked, making the blonde growl in protest. Determined not to be one-upped the youth had quickly dropped to his hands, swinging his right leg out in an attempt to trip Sasuke, who in one fluid motion had dodged the trip.

"Fine, you leave me no other choice." He performed his Tsukuyomi trapping the youth in an illusion one that wouldn't bring too much distress. However; as he turned away to fetch Konoha's Madame. He was taken aback by the ear-piercing screech that erupted from the teen's lips. He dropped to his knees clenching his temples and hunched over in what looked like a massive amount of pain.

In an instant, he was by the youth's side however Sasuke made the mistake of grasping the teen's shoulder. Naruto's head shot up and within that moment, he had driven his Rasengan hand straight through his mate's side. It was the smell that had broken the illusion the thick smell of copper the youth blinked a few times as his eyes came into focus, landing on Sasuke's strained face hovering above his own.

Slowly, his brows came together to form the uncertain crease. Subconsciously, he withdrew his wrist deep fist from Sasuke's stomach as that unmistakable look of terror flooded his face, as he lifted his hand and saw the massive amount of blood cascading down to his elbow. Sasuke grunted at the sudden snatch from inside his abdominal region. The pain was something Sasuke wouldn't wish even of his most hated of enemies.

"Oh, gods! Sasuke I-I-I-I'm so s-sorry." He cried as tears began to stream down his cheeks at an alarming rate.

"Heh," The raven smirked pressing his shaky index and forefinger against the blonde's crown as the scroll that Tsunade gave them appeared. He watched as the youth's eyes grew heavy before shutting completely and his body went limp in his arms. The Uchiha had slid an arm beneath the teen's head and underneath his knees as he lifted him bridal style. Slowly, he treads towards the Kage tower.

He was losing a lot of blood as crimson poured down his leg leaving a trail and bloody footprints. It was Sakura who met him halfway between her and the boy with bushy brows. Within a blink, Rock Lee had taken Naruto from Sasuke's arms once he noticed the raven's legs giving out, but it was Sakura who attempted to catch him instead he landed face first in the dirt with a sickening thud.

In all honesty, this chapter was hard for me to write. Sorry for the wait.