I'm almost there, thought Sasuke as he bounded through the tree branches, his feet barely touching the bark. His mind was set on one thing, and one thing only—rescuing his best friend, and possibly his old girlfriend. His grip tightened on the handle of his sword as the image of Itachi having hold of Naruto flooded his mind, and he flat-out snarled when Kaede replaced Naruto in the picture. If anything happened to them, he would never forgive himself.
He knew he was playing straight into a trap. Why else would Itachi have taken Naruto and Kaede if not to attract his little brother to his untimely death? But why would Itachi want to bother with him now?
He probably wants to kill me because I'm a much bigger threat now, he mused, ducking to avoid a low branch. Or maybe he figures that if I am captured, Orochimaru will come running to save me and give up that ring. Ha. As if.
Ever since leaving the Sound village, he'd seen one face in his mind. Kaede's face, always there, always smiling at him, always teasing him. He just couldn't shake that image of her hair blowing back in a light breeze away from her face, her hazel eyes dancing in the sunlight….argh! He was getting soft again—the last thing he needed right when Konoha seemed to be making a comeback was to let his mind wander from the real task at hand.
Yeah, that's right. Konoha was beginning to retaliate—after the Sound's last attack on their hideout, Orochimaru was on his toes, especially since they had escaped with barely a scratch on the numbers suspected to be down there. Of course, Sasuke knew just how many eligible fighters Konoha had, but like he would tell Orochimaru. That would mean putting Kaede, Naruto, and Sakura in danger, and the fate of the village he'd grown up in, the people who'd stuck beside him even after his betrayal.
He ground his teeth together, frustrated because of the indecision he was facing. If Orochimaru knew that he'd kept all of this valuable information from him, and run off to save his "old friends," the Sannin would be viciously angry. That would not be good, considering how powerful Orochimaru had become in the past years.
Sasuke's stomach churned as the sudden thought of becoming Orochimaru's new body came to mind. In about two years, that would be his fate. He shuddered; there was no way he wanted to be that man's body, even though the Sannin thought he was controlling him with puppet strings and a marionette. Sasuke had merely allowed Orochimaru to think this way, after all, leaving him the upper hand. So far.
With a renewed vengeance, Sasuke pushed off hard from one of the trees, cracking the branch and landing firmly on the next. Whatever happened, or whatever his actions caused, he would rescue Kaede and Naruto, no matter if his life served the fee.
Kaede paced back and forth down the length of the tiny room she and Naruto were stuck in. After Naruto's attempt at escape, they'd been locked inside with little to eat save for the one meal a day they shared. Itachi always brought it, never Kisame; Kaede guessed that was because Itachi had a better advantage over them than his partner would. Well, whatever suited them.
If she had to guess, she would've said that they'd been in that room for about a week, maybe less, maybe more. She had no clue how long she had been out. There were no windows to tell the nights from days, but she figured if their meals came at even intervals, once a day, she'd been conscious of at least three days.
Naruto, on the other hand, had been trapped in this place for a lot longer than Kaede had. When they'd locked him in a cell, a chakra-proof cell, food was not an option. The only thing he'd been allowed was water. Until he'd attempted escape, which in turn brought him to Kaede, who was given food that she gladly shared.
Letting out a breath, Naruto stood up from his place on the floor and halted Kaede in her pacing. "It feels like we've been in here for eons."
Nodding, Kaede replied, "I know. There's nothing to do in here but pace and try to think of ways to get out. The only time the door is unlocked is when Itachi comes and brings our food. And we have no way of getting past him." She sighed. "It's hopeless. We're stuck until someone figures out what's wrong and finds us."
Suddenly curious, Naruto asked, "Hey, Kaede? How did you get out of the hideout anyway, and what were you doing out there? Cause I know the Akatsuki wouldn't have gone in there with the risk of getting attacked."
Kaede should have known he would've questioned her at one time or another, so she sat him down on the bed and they sat back-to-back.
"Shikamaru and I had a last-resort sort of plan," she explained. "He and I decided that we were going to trick Sasuke, sort of betray the betrayer, if you can understand that. See, if I acted as if I were exiled from Konoha because I'd allowed him to live after a little confrontation, then maybe he would grow to trust me. That would give me the upper hand, because I would be able to get information from him that Konoha desperately needed, and possibly get back into the village in time." She licked her lips and tried to tell if Naruto was upset or not. He hadn't stiffened, or made any noise, so she went on. "It didn't really seem right, and I knew it would kill me to do it, but I agreed and we went along with the plan. It seemed like a good one, one that would work—since it's Shikamaru's idea, after all—but that was until I was taken. I guess Itachi and Kisame were just waiting for a time to get me."
Naruto was silent, unmoving, and apparently thinking. Kaede couldn't guess what he was figuring in his head, but she was fretting because he did not answer her immediately. Of course, Naruto hadn't been one to think before he spoke as a child, but now he was older, wiser, and the Hokage. She should know better than to think he would automatically blurt out a sentence.
Finally, he spoke.
"Kaede," he began, "I know you want the best for Konoha, and that you put the village before everything else, but this time, I think you'll have to keep yourself at the top of the list." He held up his hand as she made a noise of disagreement. "Now, listen to me before you get all upset. Sasuke is our friend. There is nothing more in the world that I would want than to have him back with us. I know him like the brother I never had—hell, I consider him a brother. He's a good guy, and a little messed up on the inside too. He didn't fight me with his Sharingan because he wanted to have a fair fight, not the upper hand like when we were kids. He never put you at risk because he still cares for you. All of those little things he did a long time ago weren't just tricks, and he wasn't just using you."
Kaede was stunned. Naruto really had thought about this a lot, and his words made her feel all the more guilty.
"Sasuke still loves you." Naruto turned around, and turned her around so that they were facing one another. His blue eyes were intense and passionate. "You should have heard him when we were fighting. He may not have been speaking, but the way he moved, the way his expressions looked, he was begging for our forgiveness. Which is why I did forgive him. But I never got to tell him."
"Oh, Naruto," Kaede said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He shrugged her off. "We can't keep hurting him this way, Kaede. He's our friend, and always has been. He just took the wrong path." Naruto looked down at his hands folded in his lap. "I never told you this, but…I saw Sasuke the night he left. He was far out of the village when I found him. I knew something was up, because of the way he'd been acting for the past few days. So I chose a night and left to watch him." His blue eyes looked back up, apologetic. "We fought, Kaede, for hours. He brought on his curse seal, and I had my demon chakra. It came down to the very last of what we had, and I lost. But he let me live. He let me live."
Kaede understood the importance of this. To gain the Mangekyou Sharingan, an Uchiha must kill his very best, closest friend. To Sasuke, that would have been Naruto. But he chose not to kill him. He chose to let Naruto live, because he'd known that his friend would survive and keep on trying. Kaede felt tears come to her eyes at the generosity and message of this small gesture.
Sasuke was still with them.
Sasuke stood in front of Itachi and Kisame's hideout. He was still, just staring at the entrance. Inside of this place were two of his three best friends. Inside of this place were his brother, Itachi, and his partner, the shark man. He drew his sword and ran the blade in front of him, using the reflection to make sure no one was behind him.
His Sharingan activated, and, with a determined look on his face, he back-flipped into the trees near the entrance. He could wait for them.
Naruto stood up, restless again. Kaede watched him make his way over to the door, study the hinges and handle, and begin his pacing. He was thinking, she figured, and observed him as he tried to work out a plan. Years ago, Naruto would have completely thrown out the whole "think of a plan" idea, and just gone with his gut feeling. Nowadays, he thought out every move before he made it. Kaede didn't know which way she would have preferred in this situation.
For a while, Naruto continued to pace. His shoulders were stiff, his jaw rigid, and his blue eyes lost and searching. Kaede continued to watch him, her own mind wandering from the situation at hand. If they did get out, where would they go? Of course Naruto would want to go back to their hideout, but what about Kaede's mission? Well, if it came down to that, her village would definitely come before her mission.
But didn't Naruto just tell her that this time, she needed to put herself before her village? It seemed barbaric to do something like that. It didn't make sense in her mind to put her own feelings before those of the citizens of the Leaf. For years she'd forgotten about the things that made her human and about herself. She wasn't the kind of selfish person that would think of only themselves and not of others. It didn't seem right.
"Kaede, I've got it," Naruto announced suddenly, pulling Kaede out of her reverie. Her head snapped up and she looked at him, startled.
"Huh?"
He grinned. "I know how we're gonna get out of here."
Eyebrow raised curiously, she asked, "How are we going to get out?"
Naruto's grin widened and he rushed over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her vigorously. "Remember when we were kids, and we'd get ourselves in all these stupid situations?" Kaede nodded. "Remember how we got out of them?"
This time, Kaede grinned.
"Yeah!" Naruto said enthusiastically, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "We never had a plan! And this time, we don't have one, either! So guess what we're going to do?" He didn't give her a chance to guess. "We are going to wing it, just like we did when we were kids. We're going to fight tooth and nail and play it out as we go along!"
Kaede threw her arms around Naruto and hugged him. "You're brilliant, you know that?" He chuckled. "There is no way in hell anyone else would try to get out of here without a plan, other than you! Not even Sasuke, or Sakura, or me! So, let me guess, when Itachi comes?"
"You've got it, girl."
By the time Itachi's familiar footsteps came down the hallway, Naruto and Kaede had worked themselves up into an excited and frightened bundle of nerves. They were waiting impatiently for the Uchiha to open the door, watching the doorknob.
The knob slowly turned, and painstakingly opened inch by inch. Kaede clenched her hands into tight fists, and Naruto sat rigidly on the bed. She darted a glance in his direction, and he gave her a firm, reassuring nod. After returning the gesture, they both kept their gazes on the door, and when it opened fully, Itachi stepped in.
Immediately, the tray went flying in the air, the bland soup and ramen spilling everywhere. Itachi was hit back, and Kaede flashed by him. It was her job to take care of Kisame, and Naruto's to fight Itachi. But when she began to run down the hall, the shark man never came out. She halted in her tracks, and looked over her shoulder. Naruto was darting down the hallway, Itachi in quick pursuit. The Uchiha was moving swiftly, seeming to float instead of walk.
At the sight of his legless appearance, Kaede flashed back to her first encounter with Itachi. He had had that same illusion-like way of moving. Wait, illusion….
"Naruto!"
The blonde Hokage's eyes widened as he realized at the same moment as Kaede what was going on. They looked down the hall, and saw that no matter how long they ran, it kept on going. Naruto's brow furrowed, and he made a chakra sign, halting in his tracks next to Kaede. She matched the chakra sign, and they both began to focus their chakra. Naruto's chakra became visible with the power of his demon, and Kaede had to work to not be distracted by the sheer amazing ability of the Hokage. He had definitely earned his position.
But Itachi's genjutsu proved to be too strong for Kaede, and when she opened her eyes, she did not see Naruto. She winced, realizing that Naruto had been able to escape, while she'd been unable to. Her heart beat rapidly against her ribs, and she took several deep breaths to calm herself down.
Naruto knew how to get her out of this genjutsu, but what if Kisame had gotten to him before he could help her? She gulped, but forced herself to remain alert to what Itachi had up his sleeve.
The Uchiha was floating eerily in the air, his cloak flapping around him, his face still covered up to the eyes by his collar. His red and black eyes stared down at her, his black hair falling messily over them. Kaede tried to take a step back, but found her feet wouldn't move. When she looked down, she saw they were rooted—literally, with roots—to the ground. Horror made its way across her face, and she stared up at Itachi, her eyes filled with fear.
There were dozens of copies of the Uchiha, all glaring at her. All the hands reached at the same time for kunai, and they all flew out simultaneously. Kaede cringed, and barely managed to keep in her scream when the knives pierced her skin. Blood oozed from each wound, and she wanted the burning to stop.
Suddenly, it did.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and jerked her head around to see Naruto, smiling half-heartedly. One quick inspection of her body proved that in fact she did not have any kunai in her arms, legs, or torso, and that she was perfectly fine, save for being shaken up a little.
"Sorry," Naruto apologized quickly, rubbing the back of his head. "I thought you were behind me and once I realized you weren't, I had to run back and help ya."
Kaede just nodded and turned to check Itachi's position. He was standing where he'd been standing for the longest, and judging by the massive weaponry stuck on the wall behind him, Naruto had been trying to break his concentration before trying to wake her up directly. Figures, typical Naruto. She smiled at the thought, and reached in her pouch for her kunai. With her luck, of course, it wasn't there.
Duh, idiot, you came without it to seem like less of a threat to Sasuke. She growled, and held out her hand to Naruto. "Give me some knives, eh?" When no weapons slapped immediately in her hand, she glanced at him, and he was pointing sheepishly at the wall behind Itachi. She sighed. "Great."
"Come on," Naruto urged. "We've got to get out of here."
Kaede gave a firm nod in agreement and took off at the same moment Naruto did. They ran as fast as they could, each feeling around them with their chakra and watching everything to make sure they weren't in another genjutsu. They weren't. With fast-paced strides, Kaede and Naruto reached another door at the end of the hallway, and burst through it. Sunlight hit them like a beacon, and they whooped in triumph. But they weren't out of it yet.
As they made their way across the grass outside the hideout, something caught Kaede's eye. She darted a quick look in its general direction, and was able to make out a human figure before being forced to run on. Something about that figure made her heart twitch, and she wanted to go back and see what it was. But Naruto was ahead of her, and yelling at her to run faster if they wanted to get away.
She covered the distance between herself and Naruto quickly, and they ran side by side, for a few moments before the dizzying footsteps behind them stopped. They, too, stopped, and saw that the figure had leapt from the trees and in front of Itachi. From the way they looked, and the all-too-familiar black hair standing on-end, they both knew it was Sasuke.
"Sasuke!" Kaede cried, and the younger Uchiha's head turned to stare at them blankly. She saw the look of determination and revenge in his red eyes, and she looked away. Naruto tugged on her arm.
"Kaede, let's go. Let them fight it out," he told her, and she reluctantly followed the Hokage, trying her best not to look back.
The farther they ran, the louder the voice in the back of Kaede's mind seemed to get. Go back! it told her. Go back and help him! But every time it spoke, she ignored it. She wasn't teammates with Sasuke anymore; he had betrayed them. Besides, he could pretty much fend for himself with his Sharingan and that curse seal Orochimaru had given him.
Kaede clenched her fists, bit her lip, and forced those thoughts from her mind. What she needed to focus on right now was getting back to the citizens of Konoha and her friends, and showing them that she and Naruto were just fine. She knew that Sakura would have a fit to see Naruto back again, and that she herself would be welcome in the arms of all her fellow Jounin. Well, not all of them.
They were still missing several of their ninja, even if they'd collected several of them back during a second attack on what was left of the Leaf. Sure, Jiraiya was back, and Kakashi and Gai and several other ninja that Kaede had grown up with, but they weren't enough to hold back an entire army.
After a while, Naruto stopped, and Kaede halted next to him, panting slightly from the length of the run. She hadn't had so much exercise in a long time.
Naruto turned and stared back the way they'd come, his blue eyes glazed over with worry and regret. Kaede knew that look—she had seen it in her own mirror so many times in the past years, ever since the war had started.
"Thinking about going back?" she asked, shoving one hand into the pocket of her pants as she watched Naruto for an answer.
He shook his head once. "No." His voice was soft and far away. "I'm wondering why we haven't heard their battle yet." Quickly, his gaze turned to Kaede. "Don't you think we should've heard at least something by now?"
Kaede saw that Naruto just wanted a comforting answer, and that that desire clashed with his need for the truth. She struggled to find the right thing to say. She didn't want to make him upset, or encourage him to go back, but she didn't want to lie to him, or seem like she didn't care. Finally, she just shrugged. "Maybe. It depends on what kind of battle they're having."
Satisfied, Naruto nodded and took off running again. With a sigh, Kaede followed, her arms pumping by her sides. For now, she would just have to settle with being happy that they were out.
It was well into the next morning before Kaede and Naruto stopped running and decided to camp out. Weary, sweaty, and with jelly-like legs, Kaede flopped onto the ground and did not move. In a moment, Naruto lay down beside her, his arms propping his head up like a pillow; he heaved a grateful sigh and turned his head to smile at Kaede.
"Well, at least we're outside," he said, trying to be chipper despite their obviously bad situation.
Kaede shrugged, not totally agreeing with him. If her memory served right, they were somewhere outside the gates of Konoha, but pretty close to the old village. At the moment, lying here in broad daylight, weakened from a long run, they were sitting ducks for Orochimaru and his men. She knew the man well, and knew that he would have troops out and about to capture or kill possible wanted ninja, and to stop any invasion that anyone would dare to try on the Sound village. There wasn't much they could do other than fight, and they were too tired for even a short sprint.
Neither of them dared to fall asleep, for they were afraid that if they did, they would wake up in the clutches of Orochimaru, or not at all. Even closing their eyes for a moment made horrible images flood their minds, and they would just snap their eyelids back open. And they both struggled with their own thoughts as well as the tiredness.
For the longest, Kaede had longed to just sit down and think about her and Sasuke's relationship. There were so many things she just wasn't sure of. OK, so he loved her, and she loved him. That would seem to be the only thing any relationship needed, right? Wrong, so far wrong. Their association with one another held so many complications, like their alliances. Kaede's alliances lied with Konoha and her fellow ninja. Sasuke's lied with Orochimaru and the Sound village. She wanted to be the strongest ninja she could and live through this war to see her village rebuilt. He wanted to become as strong as possible, develop his Sharingan to its full ability, and kill his older brother for revenge on his clan.
Another thing standing in the way of their partnership was the war itself. It separated their chosen sides with a thick, stern black line that not even the bravest of ninja would dare to cross. Kaede knew that she would only step over that line for Sasuke, and he for her, Naruto, and Sakura. She knew he had feelings still for Konoha, and that those feelings would never go away completely; he knew that she hated the Sound village with a ravaging passion, and she wouldn't ever come to like it.
It totally and ultimately sucked.
She gave a tiny mew in frustration and rolled over onto her side, her eyes level with the tips of the blades of grass. There was no getting around it—chances for her and Sasuke to be together were slim, slimmer than the chances of her growing sideburns, cutting and dying her hair, and pretending to be Naruto.
Maybe there was a way, she mused as her mind began to form a plan. Maybe there was some way that she and Naruto could pull this off. If it worked, she could be with Sasuke, and she could help Konoha, too. She smiled, and sat up, all weariness forgotten.
"Naruto," she hissed, and the blonde shot up, looking around with wide eyes. She stifled a giggle as she realized that he'd thought she had seen someone. "I have an idea."
At this, Naruto smiled, and leaned in to listen. While she told Naruto her plan, Kaede felt her heart flutter and butterflies swarm her stomach like they used to when she saw Sasuke as a kid. By nightfall, hopefully, she and Sasuke would be together
Okay, that was chapter ten. I know the past few chapters have been a little dreary and uneventful, and that they weren't the best I'd written, but trust me, tbe next ones will be better. It was hard to go without finding a reason for Sasuke to come to both Naruto and Kaede, and that would have to happen for Kaede's plan to work, so Itachi and Kisame it was. Oh, and if you all haven't caught on, Itachi just wanted to remind Sasuke that he was stronger than him, and to perhaps exterminate the threat of his little brother. :D
So, I hope you enjoyed, and please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please review! It makes me worry when I don't get reviews:( So review, please, and I'll be happy to write more.
Love ya
Nicola