Author's Note: I haven't got the energy to comment right now.

Warning: YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.

Bold and Italics flashbacks

The Art of Fabrication (cont.)

(now also known as 'Taof' – brilliant idea of JD01)

By: Nine1991

Chapter 10: Punishment

"For the next couple of months, I want you to visit the records chamber every morning. Spend a few hours looking through the scrolls. Brush up on your knowledge of Konoha's history." The Hokage continued walking down the dimly lit aisle, sweeping a hand in the direction of the towering rows of antique bookshelves that lined the walls beside her, the hem of her robes swishing to and fro with her every movement. She cast a momentary glance over her shoulder at her companion. "Actually, I'm quite surprised that you stayed here so long without complaint. I was down in my office waiting for you to come bursting through within the first ten minutes."

Naruto gave the Hokage a bemused smile as he replied, "You have so much confidence in me, baa-chan."

"Have you ever given me reason to believe otherwise?"

Naruto chuckled, bringing his arms up to rest behind his neck. "I suppose you're right." He lazily stuck out a hand to sweep his fingers across some of the aligned book binds, creating faint trails in the thin layer of accumulated dust. "It's actually not so boring. I managed to find something to busy myself with eventually."

The Hokage cocked an eyebrow as she stopped at the entrance doors, turning to look at him. "Will wonders never cease."

Naruto laughed as he stepped out the doors. "I guess not." He turned around and watched as the Hokage stepped through as well, closing the pale doors firmly behind her. He looked on in fascination as she placed her right palm flat on the wooden surface, her hand gradually taking on a blue glow as she channeled chakra through her arm and into her palm and fingertips. There was a slight creaking sound as the edges of the door glowed blue as well, and a muffled 'thump' when the door seemed to push forward, fitting tightly into its frame. The blue glow faded, and Tsunade's hand dropped back at her side.

Naruto let out a long, low whistle. "So when am I gonna be able to do that?"

Tsunade's eyes scaled the door one last time before she turned and started walking briskly in the direction of her office, Naruto two steps behind her. "When I retire. Either that or…" she trailed off.

Naruto sped up his pace a little so that they now walked side by side. "Either that or what?" he asked eagerly.

"Either that or if I die."

Naruto stopped in his tracks, falling behind as the Hokage continued walking without the slightest falter in her strides. He blinked a couple of times, before shaking his head and jogging to catch up with the busty village leader, who was already at the bottom of the stairs. He fell into step beside her. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until you retire then," he stated airily, "It's not like a tough-skinned old hag like you is going to allow yourself to die until you're over a hundred." He snickered, adding softly to himself, "Though that's not very far off."

There was a resounding 'thwack' and a subsequent yelp of "OW! Baa-chan!!"

A little while later, the two settled down in the Hokage's office. Tsunade leaned back into her chair, her shoulders relaxed and her expression calm, nursing a recently downed cup of sake between her fingers. Her amber eyes focused on the young man shifting excitedly in his seat in front of her, and she inwardly smiled. Really, to be so young and so full of energy. "There are some things that you are required to know before you become Hokage." She paused for a moment to refill her cup, taking another (rather large) sip before continuing, "Most, if not all, of the information can be found in the records chamber. Treat it as a library of sorts."

Naruto was practically bouncing in his seat now, his face childishly curious and eager, and for a moment, Tsunade wondered how he ever became a ninja. She cleared her throat. "You'll have to adopt an extensive knowledge of Konoha's history, read on the past Hokages and what they've done to add to the village. On more recent terms, you need to look up our diplomatic relations, take note of the alliances we have already formed with the neighboring villages." Her lips pursed before she added dryly, "It would be unfortunate if Konoha were to start a war with one of its own allies due to the rashness of its own Hokage."

Naruto frowned. "But isn't Suna the only ninja village that we have an alliance with? Gaara and I get along fine!"

Tsunade sighed. "And yet I still remember the monumental amount of damage control your little spars had cost the village."

"Heh. It was all in good fun, baa-chan!"

"Tell that to the council elders."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms, slumping back in his seat. "What else do I have to know?"

Fighting back the prominent urge to roll her eyes, Tsunade continued where she had left off. "You are also to study on the village's battle strategies and emergency war plans. In case the village is ambushed and-"

"-the people need to be evacuated so that elimination of the enemy can be done without involving innocent lives," Naruto finished for her, his voice uncharacteristically low and calm. He stared at the Hokage blankly, the words from his mouth coming out in a tone bridging a whisper, "I already know all of that."

Amber eyes softened, and the Hokage's expression turned somber. "I know," she said, voice equally silent. For one moment, instead of the vibrant, young Jounin in front of her, she fancied she saw a little boy. A little boy with dull, blue eyes and matted, blond hair.

"Are you the new Hokage, oba-san?"

"Yes I am."

"Okay."

"Why are you closing your eyes like that?"

"Aren't you here to dispose of me?"

"-an! Baa-chan! BAA-CHAN!!"

Tsunade reeled back at the sudden brutal assault to her eardrums, and growled as she shot a venomous glare at the blond, blue-eyed perpetrator who was leaning over the table, a mile-wide grin plastered on his face. "For god sakes, gaki! Is it impossible for you to be quiet for once!"

Naruto collapsed lazily back into his seat, his feet smoothly brought up to rest on the table surface, ignoring the distinct twitch in the Hokage's eye at the action. He smiled cheekily at her. "It's all part of my charm!"

The Hokage found that an exasperated sigh was the only fitting reply.

"You know, baa-chan, considering that there's so much to remember before you can become Hokage, I don't know how you ever got the job! I mean, judging by your old age, wouldn't you have been going through Alzheimer's or something?"

It wasn't a surprise, really, when the doors to the Hokage's office were suddenly flung open and a certain blond, blue-eyed Jounin was sent hurtling through the air.

-LineBreak-

"-swear, the only reason why I'm so short is 'cause people keeping on treating me like some kind of punching bag-" Naruto's grumbling voice preceded his entrance and gave Sasuke enough time to quickly grab some random book off the coffee table and relax himself into a reading position. His eyes flickered over the words, making sure that he had the book the right way up, before keeping his ears pealed as the sound of the door opening and closing greeted him.

"Hey, Sasuke! I'm back!"

The young Uchiha only grunted in reply.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Jeez, someone's in a happy mood today." The sound of a zipper being pulled and the soft scraping of cloth against cloth as Naruto took off his Jounin vest (very carefully, mind you) and placed it on the back of the nearest dining chair. Loud clinking as a weapons pouch followed soon after. "Yes, my meeting with baa-chan was very good. Thank you for asking."

Sasuke snorted. "Why the hell would I ask you anything?"

"Ah hah! It speaks!" Naruto mock-gasped, bounding over to the couch where Sasuke sat and plonking himself down beside the dark-haired nin, his arms and legs flung lazily wide. Sasuke felt himself stiffen as his skin registered Naruto's body heat, even across the thirty or so centimeters between them. No, he corrected, twenty eight. His heart rate started to increase as he felt fingers graze the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck from their position across the back of the couch.

A hand entwined in his hair, pushing him closer. And closer. As close as physically possible.

"I still have to go back and see her after lunch though. I think she wants to shirk her paperwork on me." Naruto chattered, but stopped when he realized Sasuke wasn't paying attention. In fact, he seemed really absorbed in his book.

So absorbed that his eyes weren't even moving.

Naruto nudged a knee against Sasuke's, trying to jolt some reaction out of him. "Hey. Sasuke? You okay?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth at the nudge to his leg, his eyes slipping shut as he tried to stop the racing of his heart.

Pressure on his hip as he was straddled. Naruto's legs on either side of his own.

"Hey! Bastard!" A hand on his shoulder. A warm, tanned hand.

Another hand. On his shoulder. Moving. Sliding. Over his chest. Down to his side.

"WAKE UP!"

And Sasuke saw stars as he was barreled onto his side, the ache in his throbbing jaw increasing and decreasing with every rush of the blood in his veins. He looked up dazedly, only to see Naruto rubbing the slightly reddened knuckles of his right hand with the fingers of his left. The blond scowled, roughly grabbing the hem of Sasuke's sleeve and pulling the silent (and slightly stunned) Uchiha into a sitting position, all the while grumbling under his breath about people and how they kept spacing out on him.

"I wasn't spacing out," Sasuke gritted from between clenched teeth, trying valiantly to will down the sudden headache developing in his skull.

Naruto snorted loudly. "Really. Must've been one hell of a book then." He reached out to grab the book that had fallen to the floor, but was beaten by Sasuke who snatched it away.

Sasuke looked down his nose at the blond, and, for once, was extremely thankful that he was born tall. He quickly gathered up what little there was left of his composure, gripping the book tightly in his hand, and sneered, "It was."

Never one to back down from a challenge (and it was so obviously a challenge), Naruto only pushed his face closer into the Uchiha's, his brilliant blue eyes narrowing. "I'm sure it was." And Sasuke's breath hitched.

Pressure on his lips as soft ones touched his. And pressing. Pressing. Pressing.

He stood up abruptly from the couch, tossing the book aside and briskly walking away, throwing only one word over his shoulder, "Bathroom."

At the sound of the bathroom door closing, Naruto slid himself to the edge of his seat and leaned over the coffee table where the book had glided over to the far end. He grasped the hard binding and brought it back in front of him, flipping it around so that he could see the cover. The bright cartoon illustrations of "101 Ways to Enjoy Ramen" greeted his eyes and he smirked. Naruto slid the book back across the table to where it originally was, not bothering to suppress the smile on his face as he muttered softly under his breath, "Tsk, teme, who're you kidding…"

-LineBreak-

The moon was high in the sky, giving light to the frequent comings and goings of the dark figure that frequented the halls of the Hokage Tower nightly. Sasuke dropped the last scroll into the sac at his feet, before pulling the string tight to secure the mouth closed. Hoisting the sac onto his shoulder, he scanned the shelf in front of him one last time to make sure everything was in its exact place before sliding off his gloves and slipping them into his pocket.

He strode to the double-door entrance and out the records chamber, turning around to give one sweeping glance of the large, dimly lit room before closing the doors firmly shut. He brought his right hand up and placed it firmly on the surface of the door, channeling his chakra through his arm, across his palm and into his fingertips so that it flowed across his skin and into the wooden surface. He spared a look to his right and to his left, caught up in making sure no one was approaching, and hissed when a searing pain shot through his palm. He quickly jerked back his hand and brought it up to his face, clenching and unclenching when he realized there were no visible marks on his skin, and realized that the door had already sealed shut while he was busy making sure no one was going to walk in on him. Dismissing it as a chakra burn for placing his hand too long on the door, he dropped his hand back at his side, and crouched down to remove the protective covers over his sandals. Stuffing those in his pocket as well, he stood up and walked over to the window, where the glow of the moon shone like a beacon across the dark hallway.

He looked out across the village, pass the houses and across the village border, where the trees of the forest swayed gently with the midnight breeze. There was only one last thing to do tonight.

He climbed onto the window ledge and got ready to scale down the wall. But just as he was about to apply chakra to his feet, he quickly peered around his shoulder.

For a moment he had thought…

…the muffled sound of shouting…

But as he kept his ears pealed and heard nothing but the faint chirping of crickets, Sasuke gently shook his head and focused back on the task at hand. He must've been hearing things.

Five seconds later, the hallway was to be found empty.

-LineBreak-

Kasaki Hiro woke up groggily, not exactly certain of what he expected to wake up to, but only sure that it wasn't this. The last thing he remembered was stumbling out of the bar where he had gotten himself completely drunk, and feeling an overwhelming sense of hatred for the bartender who saw it fit to kick him out. Then a sharp jolt of pain at the base of his neck before everything went dark.

So when he awoke and was greeted with only darkness, he fought off the panicked, alcohol-induced notion that he was blinded and called his rusty ninja skills into gear. He quietly assessed the situation. He was blindfolded, that much he was certain, and sitting. Yes, he was sitting. On a chair of some kind. And due to the fact that he couldn't move his arms nor his legs, he could only assume that he was bound. And also, he was sure that he wasn't alone.

There was rustling, like the fluttering of cloth on cloth, and Hiro's head snapped in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?" His voice echoed, twice as loud as it would have been on its own, ringing almost eerily. He must be in some sort of dungeon.

Then there was a voice. A woman's. Soft and yet so very cold that it sent shivers up his spine. "Kasaki Hiro. Chunin. Son of Kasaki Rinji and Yousuka Akira-"

"Who are you?!" Hiro growled, trying to wrench his arms and legs free of whatever was binding them.

The woman seemed to pay him no heed, merely continuing her steady commentary of his profile. "-Graduated from the academy with a relatively good score, but no honours. Promoted at the age of twenty. Your twenty-third mission was requested by the council elders of Konoha-"

Hiro stiffened, suddenly aware of where this was going.

"-You were assigned as guard to one Uzumaki Naruto."

Hiro laughed loudly, the harsh sound drowning out the calm voice of the woman. "Is this about that demon?" he said, between deeps breaths of air, before sneering, "I wasn't aware that anyone was desperate enough to befriend a monster."

There was the soft snap of a folder flipping shut, then the creak of weight lifted off a chair and the brisk sound of footsteps before a loud 'slap!' reverberated through the air. Hiro felt his face jerk to the side and a distinct crack in the region of his lower jaw and froze, numb, before gritting his teeth as the overwhelming pain started to surge through his cheek, like thunder after lightning. The voice whispered behind his ear, low and threatening, "The only reason you're not breathing through a tube right now is because I need information. Information that you will give me." There was suddenly a rough grip on his hair and he was violently pulled back into a straight sitting position.

The sound of footsteps retreated slightly, before seeming to circle him. Slowly. Patiently. And Hiro was suddenly reminded of a predator circling its prey.

"There were various marks on Uzumaki Naruto's body. Too many of these marks were…inconsistent. Which can only mean that there was more than one assailant. From my observations," the footsteps stopped about two metres directly in front of him, "I would say that there were perhaps five or six other people." One step forward. "I want to know who they are." One step closer. "So why don't you enlighten me."

Hiro snorted, seemingly recovered from the harsh hit to his face. He tilted his head up proudly. "We performed a service to the village. That demon child deserved everything. Anyone who hears of what we've done would gladly thank u-AARGH!!!" Hiro hollered in surprise and pain at the sharp jolt running from the back of his left ankle and up his leg. He squeezed his eyes shut and firmly gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain that was gradually turning into a buzzing numbness spreading from his heel and across his feet. His eyes snapped open in shock when he realized that, no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to move his left foot. "YOU BITCH!! What the hell did you do?!!"

"The tendon above your heel is a very delicate place," the voice was as cold as ice, and for the first time, Kasaki Hiro feared for his life, "Severing that tendon will render the attached foot completely useless. And if the wound is left unattended and bacteria is left to fester, amputation will have to be considered."

"Why you little bitch!! I'll kill you! I swear I'll fucking kill you!"

"Killing me will have to wait. I want those names!"

Hiro growled, breathing hard. No, he would not succumb to some stupid woman! "What makes you think I know them? Maybe they just invited themselves along. It's not hard to find someone who's willing to give that demon what it deser-" Another overwhelming surge of pain, this time above his right heel, and Hiro screamed. "YOU BITCH!! YOU FUCKING BITCH!!"

A hand was placed in a harsh grip over the back of each of his bound forearms, the nails digging deeply into his skin, and his chair, along with himself, was wrenched forcefully forward. There was suddenly harsh breathing across his face and the voice snarled out from not even inches away, "My patience is running low, Kasaki-san. Now, I had full intentions of mending the tears in your tendons had you cooperated willingly, but I'm starting to change my mind."

Hiro took in a ragged breath, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed gulps of saliva that never seemed to sooth his suddenly dry mouth.

"It seems my words aren't enough to convince you."

Hiro held his breath as something metal and cold rested on the back of his left wrist.

"Perhaps if your hands are next to go…"

And as the sharp metal object started to dig into his flesh, Hiro reacted, practically choking on his own saliva in his haste to get the words out of his mouth. "Wait! Wait! I'll tell you the names! Just stop!" The object retreated and Hiro sighed in relief. This woman was crazy! Absolutely crazy!

"I'm glad that you're starting to see sense," the voice drawled. "The names, please."

Hiro growled, and in a voice laced with hate, proceeded to list out the names one by one. When he had given the name of every man that was with him during the Kyuubi's punishment, he slumped back into the chair he was tied to, as if every single word had cost him so much energy.

"Thank you, Kasaki-san." And as the footsteps started to retreat, Hiro panicked and struggled against his binds, his words coming out choked as he called after the figure.

"Wait! You said you'd fix my feet!"

The footsteps stopped, and Hiro sighed in relief as they approached once more. "Of course, how irresponsible of me to forget."

There was a sudden warmth and a tickling sensation above each heel, and Hiro could've laughed in joy when, after the heat faded, he was able to wiggle all of his toes. He let out a long breath, but choked when his left wrist was suddenly grasped tightly followed by a sharp pain and a familiar feeling of tingling numbness spreading through his palm and fingertips. His right wrist followed soon afterwards.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!?"

"Making sure that you can never use another jutsu ever again."

"You said that you'd heal me!!!"

"I said that I'd mend the tendons at your feet, not that I wouldn't sever anything else."

"YOU ARROGANT BITCH!!!"

And before he could utter another word, there was a hand at his throat and the blindfold over his eyes was wrenched away. He blinked, allowing himself to get used to the dim lighting. The grip around his throat tightened threateningly, and Hiro focused on his attacker. His eyes bulged when he recognized who it was.

"I will make sure that you'll never lay another hand on Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hokage-sama!!"

Amber eyes glinted dangerously and Tsunade gave Kasaki Hiro's throat one last painful squeeze before pushing him harshly back, the force so strong that the chair tipped back onto the floor with a loud 'crash!'.

She looked down her nose at the dazed Chunin, still strapped to the chair even as it lay on its back on the floor. Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a snarl. "Kasaki Hiro, by order of the Hokage, you are hereby banished from Konoha."

"No! You can't do that! I'm a citizen! I'm a Konoha ninja!" Hiro protested, futilely struggling against the bonds on his arms and legs, trying in vain to move his unresponsive fingers. "You can't do this to me! You can't!"

Tsunade smiled – a cruel, chilling smile – before turning on her heel and making her way to the door. She paused by the entrance, where Shizune stood attentively, clipboard and pen in hand. Shizune handed her the clipboard, the paper on it clearly displaying six names. Tsunade took it. Her only words before she left were, "Leave him outside the village gates."

Shizune nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

-LineBreak-

The sac was smoothly snatched from the air, and brought under the dark, assessing gaze of Kabuto, who tilted the contents from side to side before, seemingly satisfied, retightened the knot at the mouth. He raised his eyebrows at Sasuke, who remained stoic as usual. "Ten scrolls? Considering that there are so many, I hope they are all related to what we are looking for. Have you ever heard of quality over quantity?"

"They are all very much related to Konoha's ultimate defense mechanism," Sasuke growled.

Kabuto smirked. "I'm sure they are." He hoisted the sac over his shoulder before pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose this means that you managed to break the seal on the records chamber?"

"I did."

"Anything of interest?"

There was a short pause, then, "Kyuubi no Youko."

A flash of interest crossed Kabuto's face. "The nine-tailed demon fox? What does it have to do with Konoha's ultimate defense?"

The edges of Sasuke's lips quirked into a cocky smile. "Unfortunately, the information I gathered is only for the knowledge of Orochimaru. You'll have to beg him later if you're that desperate to know. I'm sure it's not that difficult for you since you're probably used to doing a lot more than begging for Orochimaru."

The pleasant expression melted right off Kabuto's face. "My, my. Talkative today are we, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke cocked a brow. "If we're done here, I'll let you run back along to your master." He turned in the direction of Konoha's looming gates.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, before you leave there's one more thing Orochimaru-sama would like to know."

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He calmly turned around, focusing his calculative gaze on Kabuto, who had a superior smirk on his face.

"Orochimaru-sama wants to know how one may sneak into the Hokage's office unnoticed."

-TBC-

-LineBreak-

Completely exhausted. Must finish homework. Why the hell did I ever pick to study French?

Please drop a review and tell me how you liked (or how you hated) the chapter. I'm all ears…er…I mean eyes. Anyway, would love to hear any kind of feedback whatsoever. You know, reviews make writing worthwhile for me.

Thank you to everyone that added my story to 'alert' and 'favorites'. I'm honored, really.

Thanks for everyone who've constantly reviewed and provided unwavering support! Don't know what I'd do without you guys!

Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:

Kin: I'm glad that you liked the make-out scene. I didn't think that Sasuke changing all of a sudden into a sex-god would fit his characterization, so I decided to make him a little unsure of what to do. Thanks for all the compliments! I appreciate every word!

ddd: I'm not sure if that interrogation scene was what you expected, but I hope it at least quenched some of your thirst. I know it's not 'a bunch of parts' but…

Murasaki: I completely understand what you mean about the short scenes. I get the feel that most of the parts kind of end abruptly, and don't really 'flow'. Is my understanding the same as yours? I apologize if the story kinda seems a little choppy, and I can only assume it's partly because I prefer not to reread any of my own work right after I've written it. I'm really picky with my writing, so if I reread a part in a story I've written, then I'd keep on re-editing and re-editing and then it all sounds dull to my ears so I'd change it again anyway and then I never get anywhere. Another reason would be because I've got the whole plot of the story written out in point form, so I basically write each part to fulfill one 'point' and then I skip to next 'point'. Heh, anyway, I will try to improve my flow. Thank you for the constructive criticism. Heh heh, you're my first one!

To all my readers – you rock!!!

- Nine1991 -