Chapter 32: Countdown

Pairings: Naru/Sasu

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Don't own it...and really Masashi doesn't own it either...if he had he would have stomped his foot down and demanded that this is a straight up boy/boy romance and he'd have it no other way...instead he caved to pressure...spineless bastard.

Summary: Remember that summer camp you went to: that quaint place out in the woods, by a lake, sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories and eating s'mores? Well this summer school sure as hell isn't that. Three months, Sasuke, teenage delinquents, illegal alcohol, prescription drugs, annoying shrinks, escape plans, a shitzu from hell and new relationships...welcome to camp.

(*)(*)(*)

***The Library, 8:00 a.m. twenty-two hours before 31'st.***

"We have a problem." Naruto said voice steady and still while looking each one in their eyes; his cobalt orbs met the steady green ones of Gaara, the hazel ones of Shikamaru, Kin and Kiba; skipped over the balanced greys of Neji and the browns of Ten-Ten's.

He slapped down and piece of paper on the desk. "Fearless leader is about to be transferred to prison...we have nineteen hours to get him out."

"What the fu-" Kiba half-shouted, a look of panic shooting into his eyes. Kin immediate reached up and smacked him in the back of his head.

"Shut up moron." She hissed. "Fifteen ways Kiba... fifteen."

The Inuzuka clamped his mouth shut fast; eyes still showing his anxiety.

"The cells are located in the base of the Admin Sector," Naruto said a quiet deadly tone in his voice, "Exodus is thirty-five hours away, we need him or we're screwed."

Quiet reigned for a minute.

"You know..." TenTen said suddenly, "I've actually seen those cells; a brilliant ironworks welder must have made them because they're the sturdiest piece of craftsmanship I've seen in a long time."

Worried blue eyes shot over to her. "But can get him out?"

"Sure..." she answered slyly, "But there is a problem...there are only two quick ways to get into that room; one with a key or the second, a two foot space between the last cell bar and the roof...barring those I'd have to get a pair of soldering irons and three hours of time."

"Weren't you an acrobat?" Gaara spoke up suddenly from his corner.

The weapons dealer turned to him, lips twisted into a moue; "Yes...but I'm not a damn contortionist."

"I am."

Every eye spun to peer at the speaker and to everyone's surprise it was the Hyuuga. Pale eyes went blank. "What?"

"You're a contortionist?" Kin asked sceptically.

Neji sighed tucking a tendril of cinnamon hair behind his ear, "My clan developed a martial art that requires you to bend and twist; each child from three months old has their muscles stretched and if necessary, some bones get broken..."

Everyone winced. Neji grinned, "I said if necessary...most of us are born with double-joints making it that much easier for us. I can reach him."

A breath of relief sounded through the room. Naruto turned to TenTen. "So how do you come in?"

She grinned, "The locks can be easily picked from the inside...I'm assuming pretty-boy-Hyuuga can do that."

"You need a follow-up plan, though." Shikamaru said eyeing all of them; "Once he's out, how are you going to hide him."

Another stint of silence.

"I agree with that suggestion but right now you're jumping the gun." Gaara said arms crossed, head down and eyes closed. "The first thing you need is a delay tactic; we all know Ibiki has a problem with Sasuke...he will try everything to get him shipped out as soon; today if possible."

The Uzumaki sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair; "Then what do you suggest we do?"

The Sabaku glanced up fire dancing in his eyes, "We don't have to do anything...the legal system can. There is something called an Interlocutory Injunction(1); it's where the prisoner can file a claim claiming a violation of his constitutional rights...allergies, religious requirements, whatever he can think off."

Jade eyes pierced everyone, "Even if the motion is denied it takes at least three days to process and that means..."

Naruto grinned, "Excellent...but the second part; where are we gonna hide him for a day and a half?"

Shikamaru snorted, "Where no one would ever look...In plain sight."

(*)(*)(*)

***Teacher's Lounge, 8.45 a.m***

A cup of steaming hot black coffee was placed before him. Kakashi looked up to see a sympathetic Iruka. The younger psychoanalyst perched on the edge of the table.

"I'm sorry Kakashi." The sable haired man said softly. "This must be hard on you."

The silver haired man squashed down urge to laugh.

"Hard..." he murmured skipping through Sasuke's thick file; it had every record of his stay in the camp; academic grades, extracurricular activities, martial arts progress, his own psychological assessment; Iruka's graphology assessments, medical reports, library records, punishment details, citations..

Wait; his library list was exceptionally long and kind of illogical.

Kakashi skipped back to the library records and scanned the list: . Badger: A Concise Guide to Electromagnetic Systems...well that was explainable; he was in Auto Shop. The rest, not so much.

Gertrude Marcel: 'Legends; The basis of Humanity';
Sun Tzu: 'The Art of War'.
Michal Belfield; 'Local History.'
Jorobo Hakim: 'Simple Moulding Techniques.'
Argo Belisarius; 'An Introduction to Latin'
Watashimuru Nagaiki, Ph. D: 'Indigenous Plants; Uses and Cures.'

The Hatake took some time to try and analyse Sasuke's thought processes...why would he read a book on legends, a war manual, how to make casts, a medical journal and a book on a sort of dead language?

"'Ruka." Kakashi called softly while handing him the list, "What do you get from this?"

The other man took a glance down the list and his eyes opened a fraction. "I have no idea, Kakashi...maybe he chose them at random?"

"Iruka, one thing Sasuke is isn't that; there has to be a base denominator." Kakashi said calmly getting up and walking to his cabinet where a cleverly hidden flask of vodka was stashed. Pulling open the door he reached in and liberated the bottle when something caught his eyes.

The stack of digital tape recorders was missing one. "'Ruka," Kakashi called over his shoulder, "Did you borrow one of my recorders?"

Sable brows furrowed, "No I didn't...why?"

"No reason." He replied genially faking a derisive short, "Just remembered, it's in my bedroom, I was analysing one of Sai's session."

'Jesus Sasuke.' Kakashi thought, 'What the hell is going on?'

***Holding Cell, 10.35 a.m.***

The one illogical thought running through Sasuke's mind while slumped against the gritty wall was, 'wonder what Perseus would do in this situation.'

Softly knocking his head against the wall, alabaster eyelids slipped shut and he sighed. "I'm screwed."

"Uchiha?"

Sasuke glanced up to see the kitchen aid, Ukon approaching him with a tray of food and a folder in his hands.

"Breakfast." He announced sliding the tray through the small slot. "And I was told to give you this."

He handed the raven the folder with blank papers and a pen. "I'll collect it when you're done."

Sasuke's brows furrowed as set aside the tray and opened the folder. Stuck in the inside of the folder was a sticky note; 'Delay tactic; Interlocutory Injunction; you should know what to do.'

Sasuke could've slapped himself; why didn't he think of that? Grabbing the pen he thought for a moment then started to write, grinning softly.

***Forty-five minutes later.***

"Uchiha!" came Baki's incensed roar. There was no power on earth to stop Sasuke from grinning like a loon then. He raised his head in time to see Baki slapping the papers on the cell bars.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"That, Sir, is a motion called an Interlocutory Injunction; a mechanism in the constitution that allows me to delay my transfer." Sasuke replied blithely.

"I know what it is, smart-ass." Ibiki growled.

"So have you filed it yet?" the raven asked calmly cleaning under his nails.

"Yes." Ibiki grated, "It's filed and the board will be assessing it ...but rest assured punk, I will see you shipped off to prison one way or the other."

"I do wish you luck." Sasuke smiled as Ibiki huffed and stormed away.

***Break Time***

It was break time. Naruto was leaning on the quad fence when he felt a tap on his shoulder; he shifted his head to see Neji standing calmly beside him. Golden brows arched in complete surprise.

"Hyuuga?" he asked turning around fully. "Something wrong?"

"No." Neji said, hands stuck in his pockets in an eerie resemblance of the one person he was worrying about. "...I just want to talk."

Strange. "About what?"

Neji just stared at him.

The blond shrugged giving him the permission to go ahead.

A small caustic smile crossed Neji's face while turning to stare at the vista behind the fence, "When his parents died in the fire, they were sent to my clan, my family exactly, to be supervised until his brother reached majority and could take care of the both of them.

I'm not going to lie, when they came to us Sasuke was really messed up...he had... issues. It was clear to us he was abused, they both were but Itachi was older and stronger; Sasuke wasn't."

He ran a hand through his loose hair. "When we were about fourteen it happened between us. Unfortunately, at that period, just as I was breaking through Sasuke's shell, I was ordered by my elders to covertly get some damming info about a client of theirs by the route of his daughter..."

Naruto folded his arms, "How?"

Neji's grimace deepened. "I was ordered to have sex with her and get her to admit her fathers' crime."

The blond crushed his reaction to smithereens. "Let me guess, Sasuke caught you...didn't he?"

Neji nodded, "And he flipped out; retreated even deeper." He sighed looking Naruto in the eye. "Believe me... it wasn't my intention to scar Sasuke even more; but I had an obligation to my family."

The Uzumaki took some time to process the info and then asked quietly, "What's you aim here Neji?"

"Just to warn you; don't do anything to break him anymore... I'm not saying you should treat him like a glass sculpture or anything; but under all that bravado, Sasuke is very sensitive. I think if he gets his heart broken one more time we will lose him."

"You still care for him..." Naruto inferred, "Don't you?"

Neji nodded. "Always have... So will you?"

"I'll try." Naruto replied after a moment.

The moonstone-eyed teen accepted it. "So is everything planned for tonight?"

Blond head shot up, "Huh...oh yeah...nine thirty tonight. Be ready."

Neji nodded and walked off.

****Itachi's Apartment Complex, 2:00 pm.****

The letters were scattered on the mahogany table in front of him. He had read each and every one of them thrice but he still couldn't stop staring at them. Kisame had come home and found him slumped down in his chair, eyes spaced out and face pale.

Silently Itachi had glanced up and just as silently slid the stack over to him. The engineer read about three, shook his head and got up to make some tea.

"Thirty-odd years..." Itachi murmured. "...thirty.."

The tea was set before him; Itachi ignored it. Picking up the last letter he sighed; it was dated a couple months before the house had burned down and they were sent to the Hyuuga's.

Red eyes glanced up, pain and confusion radiating in both orbs. "Do you think..."

Kisame's brows furrowed, "Think what?"

"Do you think he was the one that killed our pa-..." Itachi trailed off; the thought so terrible he couldn't voice it.

The engineer slowly pulled the dark head to his left shoulder and began to massage the fine hairs on the older Uchiha's neck. "You might never know."

****Basement, Pein****

"Pein." Naruto called out.

A shuffle as the man materialized from the gloom, "Uzumaki?" the spy answered with a tone of relief in his voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Slightly." Naruto answered leaning on the wall facing him, "Chidori is in a slight problem; but don't worry...everything is in order."

"Naruto..." Nagato trailed off for a minute, voice slightly apprehensive, "...when everything is sorted out...would you be interested to find out how exactly we are related?"

Something undefined but edging close to fear cut through Naruto; did he want to know or didn't he? Mustering up the courage he answered, "I'd like that, yes."

"Okay then."

Naruto turned to leave but paused when this was called after him; "He's lucky you know... to have you with him."

Blue eyes closed for a second, and then after nodding silently to himself he left.

*** 9:45 pm, Holding Cell***

Sasuke couldn't sleep. Thoughts of every kind were swimming through his head like fishes and they all started with 'what if'; what if he couldn't get Pein out in time; 'what if the team failed', 'what if the whole operations went to hell', 'what if Naruto lost his last appeal and was sent to prison', 'what if Madara held up his promise to deal with Orochimaru', 'what if' Orochimaru broke his word and actually went after his brother...

He sighed, one leg up to his chest and his forehead resting on his knee. He was so caught up in his worries that it was a small miracle he heard the cat-like footsteps on the floor. Glancing up he saw Neji and TenTen walking towards him, the latter positioning herself beside the door.

Silently Sasuke watched as Neji walked up to the grate, hooked his hands through the lattice and started to climb up. Reaching the apex where the opening was; Neji twisted so his body could enter the space upside down and face first. Slowly, bit by bit, the Hyuuga slid through the grate, twisted again and landed feet first on the floor.

"Nej-"

His shocked whisper was silenced by a warning look. The Hyuuga then proceeded to remove a pouch strapped to his leg, knelt down to the lock and inserted two small iron picks into the key hole.

Five seconds later Sasuke heard a latch click and the door open. Neji gestured to him to get up quickly. Sasuke, still in shock, paused for a minute; shook himself out of the daze, hurriedly positioned the two pillows under the blanket, grabbed his shoes and followed Neji out of the cell.

TenTen handed him his black hoodie and slipped out the door; the two of them following. With a twist the blacksmith securely closed the outer door and they followed her to and overhang behind the gardening supply shed.

Once inside TenTen shoved him a packed bag; "We'd made some modifications. You're staying with Kit; make sure he doesn't give you rabies."

Sasuke snorted; shouldering the bag he turned to her and asked, "Have you completed it...the EMP?"

"Done and ready to be deployed Uchiha." She assured, "Just stay out of sight for twelve hours."

Sasuke then turned to Neji, opened his mouth then closed it. The Hyuuga smiled slightly, "Don't freak out about it Sasuke."

Nodding Sasuke slipped under the eaves of the kennel, sat down on the small futon inside and commenced a staring contest with the luminous eyes of Kit and a small growl.

"Fur coat alien life form...fur coat; remember that."

****1:00 am; August b31'st, The Manata Club; Iwagakure Town Centre****

"Is everything in order?" Orochimaru asked fingers tracing down the barrel of the sniper rifle laid innocently on the table before him.

"Yes sir...he won't know what hit him."

***9.00 am, The Holding Cells***

"Uchiha." Ibiki growled striding up to the cell door, "I'm overjoyed to report that the council have rejected your application. You're being shipped out in the state prison in five hours."

No answer.

"Uchiha?"

Nothing; no shift, no budge, no smart-mouthed comment.

Something wasn't right. Using his key Ibiki opened the door and yanked off the blanket to face two stacked pillows.

"Son of a bitch!" Morino shouted, tearing out of the room at lightning speed. "We've got a runner!"

Dum...dum..dum...

(*)(*)(*)

Vocab/Definitions:

Interlocutory Injunction(1); Y'all can thank 'Prison Break' for this one nugget of info; it's actually real; a prisoner can actually delay his transfer or removal by doing this.

BlackProdigy