You know, I seem to have writer's block on like every story right now… perhaps my creativity is running out or I'm simply a shitty writer? Not sure; I will let you all know after more introspection.
***Also: In addition to a writer's block, something went wrong with the document uploader on Fanfiction! My apologies!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
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Ravens and Foxes
Chapter 5: An Uneasy Return
The blonde felt a breeze whipping his face, stirring him from his comfortable sleep. "What a strange sensation, I haven't felt the wind since…"
His eyes tore open to see the back of Kakashi's head, the forest flying past them in a blur. "Kakashi-sensei?" he asked, very confused.
"It's alright now Naruto, you're safe" the man responded, glancing back.
The blonde looked around and saw he was surrounded by his friends, protecting him from any enemy that might arrive. His eyes started to shut again, the lids feeling like they were dripping with cement. "Sasuke…?" he asked.
Sakura looked as if she were about to cry and she shook her head; the Raven wasn't with them. Naruto did his best to stay awake, to ask more questions, but it was as if he had been drugged, and he slipped back into unconsciousness."
***Time-Skip: 1 Week***
His blue eyes opened once more to an overly bright, white room. Unless this was an elaborate genjutsu, he was back in the Konoha hospital. "W-what…happened?"
"You gave us quite a scare brat" came the relieved voice of Tsunade.
Naruto trailed his eyes over to the women, she probably looked worse than he did. "Obaa-Chan… where is Sasuke?"
The woman looked slightly annoyed and glanced over to his other visitor. The great Toad Sage sat against the window sill, his face saddened and ashamed. "Naruto, do you remember what happened? What Sasuke did to you?" he asked, his expression unreadable.
The blonde blushed heavily, the last thing he remembered before falling asleep was making love with the Raven. But the color quickly drained when it occurred to him that everyone was giving him the same sad and nervous look. "Tell me where he is you old pervert!" he screamed.
"He raped you repeatedly Naruto, and it was obvious you were tortured even with most of the damage being healed by Kyuubi. With the help of the Byakugan, Sharingan and precision chakra I saw all the wounds you'd received, the tearing in your-"
"YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG!" he cried angrily, his chakra flaring.
"Then explain it to us Naruto, because I have the paperwork ready to have the Uchiha hunted down and assassinated for his crimes. All I have to do is sign the order." Tsunade growled back. She couldn't stand the idea that someone had hurt her precious little brother so terribly.
The younger blonde tried to calm his irritated breathing. "Look, Sasuke and I had sex, and sometimes he was rough but it wasn't like that at all. He didn't keep my chakra bound so I could have fought him off at any point if it wasn't what I wanted."
Tsunade blushed slightly, even through her frustration the thought of Naruto being intimate made her uncomfortable. "Then how do you explain the bruises? And all the wounds that you had?"
Naruto smiled softly thinking about how the Raven nursed him back health, or as well as he could be as a prisoner. "I don't know who kidnapped me initially, it was some ass who said it was to protect Konoha. He gave me to Orochimaru in exchange for his word to leave the Leaf alone. That bastard ex-teammate of yours is the one that hurt me. He tortured me 'for research' purposes. But Sasuke saved me! He kept me from being that snakes toy."
"Orochimaru wasn't the one that kidnapped you?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. The boy was loved by most people in the village at that point; no one had ever even thought that someone from Konoha would have been behind his disappearance.
Naruto shook his head and tried to tell them everything he remembered about what took place before he woke up in the Sannin's lair. "Please; tell me what happened to Sasuke now?" he pleaded when the information vomit was finished.
The Hokage gazed at the floor when she spoke. "We don't know where Sasuke is; there was an anonymous tip that you were wandering in the forests near Konoha and we went to get you there. By the time Kakashi arrived, you were unconscious under a tree and no one was with you."
"He must have brought me there after I went to sleep; I bet that ass drugged me too. That way I wouldn't be able to argue." The boy thought sadly. He'd been sure he got through to the Raven when they last spoke, but he must have been wrong.
Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other, thinking the same thing as their favorite student. If that was the case, then Sasuke would probably be in a world of pain and trouble for helping Naruto get away.
Sasuke and Orochimaru glared at each other darkly. The Sannin had recently returned to his hideout to find the boy he'd bargained for was gone, all thanks to his star pupil.
"That was foolish of you Sasuke" he seethed, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Hn."
The snake sneered, "Do you think there won't be any consequences for your actions?"
The Uchiha was completely calm, despite how nervous he should have been. Naruto was safe, and even though he was still hell bent on revenge, that's what was most important to him. "Then punish me, but be careful, you wouldn't want to damage the body you covet."
Orochimaru growled, knowing that he couldn't physically harm the boy too much, but that didn't mean that he couldn't hurt him in other ways. He signaled to Kabuto, who quickly attacked the teen with his poison covered blades.
Sasuke fought back, but the ex-Konoha ninja was extremely skilled, and one scratch would mean the end of the fight. He was so focused on his current opponent he didn't pay much attention to what Orochimaru was doing; his false confidence telling him that he was mostly immune to the man's punishments.
The Sannin was able to inflict a single, barely skin breaking cut to the Raven.
"That's enough Kabuto" he stated as the Uchiha began to wobble on his feet; whatever the snake had cut him with was strong.
Darkness clouded his vision, bringing him to his knees before he finally fell face first onto the cold ground.
"He'll be so upset to wake up without the ability to utilize his chakra" Orochimaru mused, his eyes gleaming at the boy.
"Yes, but are you sure this is the best idea? There are still several months before you are due to switch bodies my Lord" Kabuto responded.
The man grinned sickly. He knew Sasuke's plan was to wait until he was at his weakest and then attack. Losing Naruto was an irritation, but not completely unhelpful either. It had made Sasuke overly confident, and that had lead to his movements becoming sloppy.
He'd chain the boy up in a cell and use medicines to keep the body strong until the transformation ritual. The Uchiha wouldn't be able to defend himself, and once the transfer was complete, Kabuto would administer the antidote. He'd have three years to make up for the lost months.
***Time-Skip: 1 Week***
Naruto had moped around for a few days after discovering that Sasuke had once again slipped away from him, but after a much-needed talk from Iruka, he was back to his usual self.
Tsunade had thought it best to keep the details of Naruto's time as a captive secret. The younger blonde didn't seem ready to tell anyone about him and Sasuke, most likely because he didn't know if the Raven would appreciate his feelings being spread around without his say so.
But the Hokage also knew that even if Naruto was fairly well liked in the village, the Uchiha could still do no wrong apparently, and some might even consider it a problem that the last redeemable Sharingan user would not be having children. Ignorant jerks would blame the blonde for this.
The Sannin had every available shinobi searching for who would have been bold enough to kidnap Naruto. He'd told her about the man's statement that she wouldn't be Hokage for much longer, and in truth, it worried her.
Kakashi and Yamato were switched into her personal detail to ensure her safety, while Jiraiya hovered over Naruto.
The woman sighed heavily as she attempted to finish the ever-mounting paperwork, glaring some when the two Jonin smirked.
***Later that Night***
Even Jiraiya had to sleep eventually, and the hooded figure took advantage of that fact. He moved around in the darkness, making his way to the blonde's apartment.
The man peered down at the sleeping teen; after everything he knew he'd been through, the kid still snored and drooled like a care-free child. He reached out his hand to wake Naruto, hovering the other over his mouth so that he could silence him if need be.
Blue eyes opened groggily and blinked several times at the pair of red orbs above him. He felt a hand clamp over his lips to stop him from reacting, while the Sharingan tomoes began to spin.
"Son of a bitch!" he screamed when he found himself in the genjutsu. He'd literally been saved from his captivity only two weeks prior and now he was at the mercy of the Akatsuki.
"I am not here to retrieve you this time Naruto; only to talk" came the cold voice.
"Yeah? Well, I have nothing to say to you Itachi!" he growled, staring down the elder boy. If he'd already been caught, it didn't matter if he looked at him.
"My little brother is quite fond of you. Do you feel the same way?" he questioned.
"He's my best friend! My brother! I swear I'll kill you if you ever try to touch him again!" Naruto screamed.
The shadowy figure swirled out of sight and then reappeared in front of him, the sudden movements causing him to stumble back.
"That isn't the kind of feelings I was speaking about."
Naruto glared at him through his embarrassment; it wasn't often that you were being questioned about your intentions by a psychotic criminal. "I love Sasuke…" he finally admitted.
"Then you should know he is in trouble. Orochimaru has poisoned him" Itachi explained, his face still expressionless.
The blonde started to panic, he wasn't sure if he could believe the elder Uchiha, but it was extremely plausible that Sasuke was in danger after saving him.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Tell no one that I have come here Naruto" Itachi answered, forcing the blonde to sleep.
The Uchiha stepped back from the teen, his cold gaze transfixed. He'd sworn not to get involved in his brother's life other than to drive his hatred onward, but he still had business with Sasuke, and it wouldn't do him any good if the teen had his body taken over by Orochimaru.
He leaped off into the night, not giving the apartment or Konoha a second glance.
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Again, sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. I'm just not sure where I want it to go yet. Please forgive me, my faithful readers! I do try to get things updated every two days or so!
Follow, Favorite, and Review for me! It gives me the motivation to write through my multiple blocks.