Have you ever Chapter 12


Mangekyô Sharingan, Hypnotic Kaleidoscope of the Sharingan

Tetsu no Kuni= Land of Iron

Hi no Kuni= Land of Fire

Ta no Kuni= Land of Rice

Tsuchi no Kuni= Land of Waterfalls

Shimo no Kuni= Land of Frost

Shimogakure no Sato= Hidden Village of Frost

Kumogakure no Sato =The hidden village of the Clouds

Kaminari no Kuni= Land of Lightning

kiseru = traditional Japanese pipe, long and thin, made of bamboo

Kuchiyose no Jutsu = invocation technique

Chakra no mesu= Chakra scalpel (Kabuto)

Nehan shōja no jutsu==The Temple of Nirvana This illusion allows to put to sleep a very large number of people (kabuto)


Have you ever found the one
You've dreamed of all of your life
Just about anything to look into their eyes
Have you finally found the one you've given your heart to
Only to find that one won't give their heart to you
Have you ever closed your eyes and
Dreamed that they were there
And all you can do is wait for the day when they will care?


Konoha, Hokage's office.

One day after Kakashi's letter.

Shizune carefully stacked Tsunade's documents on her newly purchased desk. The front door suddenly opened with so much force that it remained embedded in the wall. Hokage's face was tensed with anger. Kakashi silently followed behind her. Kakashi seemed to want to disappear into the ground. Meanwhile, the faithful assistant prepared some tea in the corner of the room while keeping an eye on Tsunade. There was no way she was willing to allow Tsunade to break this new deck she had just finished setting up.

"Kakashi! Please explain to me how your pack lost Naruto's trail. Aren't they the best trackers? That's what you told me dozens of times before."

Hokage's voice sounded dangerously calm. Shizune knew that at this moment Tsunade was on the verge of exploding and doing a lot of damage. As she hurried to finish the tea, she grabbed a flask of sake after a second of hesitation. She wanted to ease the tension in the room. Shizune placed the tray on the desk's corner for Tsunade. After that, she presented the tea and sake. Tsunade didn't even glance at the tea. Grabbed the container, swallowed half of it, then put it back in front of her without delicacy. Shizune handed the other cup to the copy ninja. He took a seat on a chair away from Tsunade's desk. He accepted the tea with a nod, but he didn't look away from Tsunade. There was an oppressive tension in the room. She had requested their presence the day before, wondering where the three ninjas were. Even though it wasn't yet eleven o'clock, she just wanted to break up the atmosphere. At that moment, there was a loud knock on the door. It opened wide on Sai, then Sakura, and Shikamaru a few seconds later. The genie yawned and rubbed his eyes. The shinobi walked up to Kakashi and stayed behind him.

"I thank you for your punctuality. I have a mission of the utmost importance to entrust to you. It will not be catalogued in your roadmaps. I do not want the Council to know at this time. I would like them to stay in the dark as long as possible."

Surprise filled the eyes of the three shinobi. The announcement of a ghost mission by a Hokage was extremely rare. As Sakura suspected Naruto would be involved in this mission, she bit her bottom lip. Tsunade straightened up in her chair and leaned forward on her elbows.

"Kakashi had found Naruto's trail in Tetsu no Kuni, more specifically in the Samurai Temple. However, Sasuke appeared almost at the same time, which led to a confrontation."

All three of her colleagues had the same reaction. Suppressing a small cry of surprise, Sakura brought her hand to her mouth; Sai rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. Sakura smiled gently at the gesture of moral comfort. She approached the artist ninja a little closer before speaking.

"What happened? Who won? Are they injured?"

Sakura was still very concerned about Naruto. Over the years, he had become an important part of her life, and she considered him a brother. This was not the case with Sasuke. When she was younger, like all the other girls in the village, she thought she was in love with him. As she changed, so did her opinion of Sasuke. This is especially true after their last altercation with him and the impact it had on Naruto. She could not say that she understood how the Uchiha felt. If something happened to her parents, she would make a big mess. However, she would not betray her village and murder her best friend at the same time. Tsunade, the kunoichi was certain, would have helped her and even backed Sasuke in his relentless quest. Now that it was too late, she could only hope that Naruto would be safe.

"According to Kakashi's explanation, Sasuke found Naruto's trail and came to the temple to meet Naruto. Mifune Taichô, the ruler of the place, owns an indestructible place. He didn't provide any details, but it seems that Tobimara Senju made a room that can withstand destruction for them. To finish my explanation, Naruto and Sasuke fought in this room that appeared to be made for them."

Sakura held Sai's hand this time in a way that seemed slightly too aggressive, but he did not speak. A careful look at his face, however, revealed that the pressure was painful. After gently pulling his hand away from Sakura, he wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders. Sakura gently laid her head on Sai's shoulder.

"According to Kakashi, Sasuke again won the battle."

This time Sakura let out a cry of despair as she fell to her knees. The artist ninja immediately came to her level, one knee on the ground and an arm around the girl's waist. Shikamaru, who hadn't said anything until now, let out a barely audible "no" and lost all color.

"I apologize for not telling you sooner, Naruto is still alive. Calm down!"

Tsunade stood silently to approach her apprentice. Sai helped her get back on her feet, then they guided her to the chair to Kakashi's left.

"Okay. So, after Sasuke's battle ended, Kakashi and a samurai carried the two men to their infirmary, where they were treated for their multiple injuries. After Naruto was taken to his room, Sasuke was brought to his cell."

They broke off their embrace. However, they remained close to one another, as if they knew bad news was on the way. Shikamaru had encircled Sakura's shoulders, while Sai had taken her hand in his own.

"I granted him a vacation BEFORE I knew he had convinced Sasuke to return to Konoha. Otherwise, I would not have granted it."

Shikamaru had already established a connection. From what he had heard. It was strange that Naruto decided to take his vacation with Sasuke. That was the only thing he didn't understand. Would the blonde want to spend two months alone with Sasuke? Perhaps he was hoping to re-educate him himself? Regardless of the reason, the Council expected the Uchiha heir to return. Their mission would likely be to locate them and persuade them to return to the village. Silently, he thought, "How troublesome." Again, Tsunade spoke.

"I spoke to the Council, and they of course want Sasuke to be brought to them as soon as possible."

"What do they want?"

Sakura couldn't help but ask. Even though she wasn't in love with him anymore, he was still a very important person to Naruto and to her. After all, he was part of their team.

"I'd rather not talk about that right now. I want us to focus on the mission. Going back to what I was saying, the Council wants Sasuke to come back soon. They don't know yet that they aren't on their way. That's why your mission won't be mentioned."

Shizune presented Shikamaru with a scroll. He flicked his wrist, and it was opened. The Hokage continued.

"On the day following their battle, they both disappeared, along with Sasuke's clothes and sword. For the rest, I let Kakashi handle it."

As he stood up, the man walked across the room. The man looked exhausted, his clothes were filthy, and he was in no better shape.

"The moment I noticed they were gone, I summoned Pakkun and the rest of the pack. They picked up the scent of our two ninjas and followed me on their trail. They headed toward Tsuchi no Kuni. We found them at the foot of a mountain eating a meal in silence."

Copycat ninja lowered his eyes in shame, then raised them again as he looked at the three young people before him.

"It wasn't them, but two clones. Naruto had greatly enhanced their bodies' odors to carefully mask their own. To send us down the wrong path, as of now we aren't sure where they are."

Shikamaru and Sai looked at Sakura silently. Sakura seemed to want to make sure she hadn't misunderstood.

"Kakashi-sensei, hold on for a second.

Sakura's voice sounded like she was going to have a nervous breakdown.

"Are you saying that Naruto disappeared without a trace on purpose?"

Kakashi looked down once more. He didn't want to believe it either, but it was the truth.

"Just a moment, please."

The calm voice of Shikamaru eased some of the tension.

"Can it be that Naruto didn't mean any harm? In his blonde head, the vacation was granted. So he takes it and brings his childhood friend along. He just found Sasuke, so he wants to spend time with him."

Everyone thought about the genius's wise words. Again, Sakura leaned close to him and spoke to him in a low voice. Occasionally nodding his head in agreement, the artist listened attentively. Getting up from her desk, Tsunade approached everyone before speaking.

"Shikamaru's logic is more than plausible. The only drawback is the Council. They expect Sasuke to arrive within the week. If that doesn't happen, I don't know what they will do at that time. But it won't be anything positive for those two young men."

The three ninjas in front of her stared at her carefully, waiting impatiently for their mission order.

"In that case, we need to find them fast and convince them to return to Konoha. Shikamaru, I'm guessing you already have some idea where to begin?"

He nodded as he approached the western wall, where a world map was displayed. After studying the map for a moment, he turned back to his companions.

"Naruto sent Kakashi and his pack to Tsuchi no Kuni. That's the opposite of where he wants to go."

Circling the two possibilities that were presented to him, he used two different colors of markers.

Naruto can head to Shimo no Kuni with Sasuke.

With the blue marker, he circled Shimogakure no Sato.

"Or they are en route to Yu no Kuni."

Using a red marker, he marked their village Yugakure no Sato.

"He's so unpredictable that he may not choose either of those two destinations."

While thinking about his friend, Shikamaru shook his head with a smile. According to what he knew, these two places made the most sense to him. He, however, struggled to understand Naruto. The ninjas were all looking at the world map at the same time and asking themselves the same question. If they were to spend time with Sasuke, where would they go? Sakura marked the map with a yellow marker.

"It would also be possible for him to go to a familiar place, Kaminari no Kuni."

Then she surrounded Kumogakure No Sato.

"Naruto likes Bee a lot, and he trusts him. This might be a good place for him."

The villages were surrounded by different colors. Tsunade sat down at her desk and continued talking.

"You must find and find these two idiots as soon as possible. Don't talk about this with anyone. I want you to leave as soon as possible. Sai, I will rely on you to communicate for me."

While the artist nodded calmly, the other two greeted Tsunade. After that, they left silently. The Hokage sighed deeply before rubbing his tired face with his hand. Kanashi rose to his feet as well.

"I will be at my house if you need anything."

Then he vanished in a cloud of smoke. Shizune put a hot and tasty soup in front of her friend. She thanked her with a tired smile.

"I'm going home, and I'll be back by the end of the day. Tsunade?"

She looked at her friend.

"They'll bring them back, don't worry."

Leaving the room, the assistant closed the door behind her. Tsunade hurriedly finished her soup and got back to work. There was a lot of catching up to be done.


Somewhere west of Ta no Kuni

In silence, the two ninjas ran through the branches at full speed. Orochimaru raised his hand to stop them. As the two men remained up high, the snake man pulled out his scroll and watched the mark move on it.

"I think Sasuke is not planning to return to Konoha. But he is heading toward the border between Tetsu no Kumi and Hi no Kuni. If we accelerate rapidly, we can intercept him before he crosses the border."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Orochimaru closed the scroll and put it back in one of his sleeves. The two men then took off again. The old sanin was excited, he was convinced that in a short time he would have his hands on the jinchuriki. He would finally be able to move forward with all his plans. The Uchiha would get his Mangekyô Sharingan in this way and could defeat his brother. In this way, the snake-man would wash his hands of it, and the young Uchiha would have his crisis. Afterwards, he would silently follow Itachi and do whatever he had to do.

Keeping a constant pace, Kabuto followed him in silence as usual. While Orochimaru had no idea what was happening behind his assistant's glasses, he did not question his loyalty. In less than an hour, he should be able to reach Sasuke by his calculations. The only thing on his mind was what condition the jinchuriki would be in. Perhaps the Uchiha had not found him. Orochimaru's careful preparations would be for nothing if that were the case. Better to be prepared than not to be. Looking at the rising sun, Kabuto watched the minutes pass by. Soon, they would clash with Sasuke and the jinchuriki. Orochimaru suddenly raised his hand. The two stopped in their tracks. All of their senses were alert, the sanin had pulled out its scroll, and the mark was close to them.

Without rushing, the lovers walked silently forward. It was after all, their holiday. Sasuke tried not to look at his lover too much, since every time he did, he almost lost his footing. Uchiha thought he had never seen Naruto so happy. It was impossible to look away from his beautiful blue eyes as they sparkled with love every time, he glanced at him. His hair seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. And what about his smile? The smiles that Sasuke received purged him of the darkness and hatred he had been harboring. Sasuke smiled slightly; he knew that it was all his fault. The Uchiha still had no idea where they were going. He hadn't asked him, nor had Naruto told him anything. In the end, he trusted him completely. He was looking forward to the journey.

In any case, the important thing for him was that Naruto's happiness remained the center of his life. Like the sun for the earth. Sasuke had a bad feeling after walking another hundred meters in silence. It didn't feel right. He was going to call Naruto when he suddenly stopped on a branch. The Uchiha landed silently at the blond's sides. With all their senses on alert, the forest seemed to have become eerily silent. They both knew that they were near the border of Hi no Kuni. Obviously wondering the same thing, they stared at each other in silence. Who was in the shadows? A kunai sliced through the air two minutes after their unplanned stop to plant itself and explode exactly between them. Both of them leapt backwards to land on two separate branches. While Naruto released two kunai, Sasuke released Kusanagi. Uchiha had already activated his sharingan and swore silently. Naruto looked up at him as he articulated.

"Orochimaru."

Immediately after they mentioned the name of the snake, he appeared on Manda's head. Naruto wasted no time.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The cloud of appearance allowed him to grab Sasuke's hand. Gamabunta appeared in all its splendor when the two young men were atop its head.

"What's with the extra human on my head, Naruto?"

From the toad's grumpy tone, it was obvious he was dissatisfied with the situation. Naruto stamped his foot in frustration.

"I'm with him! Look in front of you instead of quibbling with me."

From his kiseru, the giant toad let out a huge cloud of smoke. The two ninjas started coughing violently when he smoked them. He kept talking.

"A snake? Really, Naruto? You know how much I hate reptiles."

With a sword in hand, he attacked Manda fiercely. Snake avoided him easily and tried to bite him in the back, but the toad made a dizzy leap. As best they could, the two shinobi held on. Leaving the field to the two beasts for now, they never lost sight of Orochimaru and Kabuto. Both of whom were also the heads of the snake. Naruto then told Gamabunta to spit oil, while Sasuke used a fire jutsu. The result was a real fire tornado on Manda... However, he crawled underground to disarm Gamabunta, and Manda was about to take care of him when Naruto shouted:

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Naruto conjured up five clones and they dashed leaning on each other towards the sword that was twirling in the air. The last clone gave a powerful kick and sent the weapon back towards the toad.

"Gamabunta, catch!"

He pointed to the top of his head.

He leapt again and caught his sword mid-air. He spun around and attempted to slice off the snake's head. Though he narrowly missed, he managed to drive the blade into Manda's body. The snake suddenly roared and scampered away. As Orochimaru and Kabuto climbed the tree, they analyzed the situation.

"Why is Sasuke staying with the Jinchuriki during the battle? Is he even participating?"

Orochimaru was confused and irritated. What made Sasuke think he could betray him? It wouldn't happen that way. When the jinchuriki least expected it, he would attack him and immobilize him. Then he would eliminate the traitor.

The battle between Gamabunta and Manda continued. The snake was able to capture the proud toad in a deadly grip. There was a reason why the snake was called Saiku no Uwabami. The snake held on to the amphibian, preventing it from moving. He had trouble breathing.

"Katon goukakyuu no jutsu!"

Suddenly, Sasuke moved closer to Manda's head. He was on Gamabunta's left shoulder, and the flames hit him right on the head. When he released the toad, he gasped in pain. His midsection was deeply stabbed by the amphibian. After being wounded by an amphibian, the snake fled in a massive cloud of smoke.

"Go Gama! We'll handle the rest!"

Naruto shouted this as he jumped forward towards Orochimaru, closely followed by Sasuke. The toad swore low, then disappeared. Two ninjas faced the other two. They stared at each other in silence.

"I see you convinced the jinchuriki to follow you, Sasuke. You can go back to the den. Kabuto and I will take over."

As Sasuke drew closer, he activated his sharingan while holding Naruto's hand.

"You won't be able to touch a hair on Naruto's head. It's ridiculous when you think about it, if you hadn't cancelled our training, we wouldn't be here today. I owe you."

His voice had returned to what it was three days ago. Emotionless, cold and dry. Naruto didn't worry because Sasuke squeezed his hand gently. If the situation hadn't been so serious, the kyubi bearer might have laughed at the reaction of the two men in front of him. Two men examined their clasped hands with exaggeratedly large eyes.

"But... But what about your revenge?"

As Orochimaru glanced at Sasuke, he shrugged. He didn't bother to reply.

"Chakra no mesu!"

Naruto was sharply attacked by Kabuto. Naruto counterattacked quickly with a kunai. A succession of kunai were thrown at full speed in the direction of the bespectacled ninja. He easily avoided them. Naruto did not give him time to prepare for another attack; he faced him immediately. Then he immediately used Ninjutsu. His movements were fast. As a result of a good blow from the blonde, Kabuto lost his footing and fell heavily to the ground. Naruto followed him immediately. He approached cautiously since the ninja in front of him appeared to be unconscious. When he was close enough to confirm his death, Kabuto stood up quickly, drawing a brisk hand wave.

"Nehan shōja no jutsu!"

During this time, Naruto didn't understand what was happening; it seemed like everything was happening slowly to him. His footing was lost when he took a step forward, causing him to fall face first and lose consciousness. Sasuke was busy fighting his former sensei from the top of his tree. From the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Naruto fall to the ground and stop moving, his blood freezing in his veins. Orochimaru was knocked back several steps by a powerful kick to the stomach. Without wasting any time, he jumped to join Naruto. However, Kabuto denied him the chance.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Hundreds of snakes surrounded him, and he thought he was going crazy with grief and anger. As he watched his man lie motionless, blood flowed from his nose and mouth. All of a sudden he felt different, more in control, and his eyes grew sharper. His gaze slowly turned to Orochimaru. The former sanin stopped running and lost all color in his face, if that were possible. He murmured.

"It is impossible. You possess the Mangekyô Sharingan."

At that moment, Sasuke realized Naruto was probably dead. His Mangekyo Sharingan would not have woken up otherwise. Suddenly, he lost all sense of control and stared coldly at the two men standing before him. He lowered his arm towards them and yelled.

"Amaterasu."

Kabuto was enveloped in flames before he had time to realize what was happening. Although the man's screams were horrible to hear, Sasuke wasn't able to hear them. Having barely finished his sign, he returned his gaze to Orochimaru.

"Shunshin no Jutsu!

As soon as Sasuke realized Orochimaru had fled, he screamed. After moving closer to Naruto's still form, he knelt beside him. Tears blurred his vision, and he couldn't see anything. The darkness enveloped him as he lay on the still warm body of his lover.