Ooh lala! Another chapter. I know it's becoming inconsistent but the good news is that there are about 2 chapters of goodness left! So I suppose they'll take longer since I want you guys to savor the last few chapters. Aren't I nice.
"We've been here for hours, is the genjutsu that hard to break" Sasuke asked impatiently. Kakashi rolled his eyes at his pupil's impatience before returning to his book.
"Of course it is! Ibu's genjustus act as actual barriers and get harder the longer they're up. After about 12 hours they're nearly impenetrable unless he releases it himself. We're lucky we got here when we did or it would be hopeless" he explained. Then there was silence between them as the genjutsu fell revealing a large warehouse. All around it, were what seemed to be missing-nins and criminals waiting for them.
"Why aren't they attacking us?"
"They're waiting for something" Sasuke guessed.
"Oi Suichi. I heard you betrayed Lord Akio. Not a smart move on your part. I'm surprised you're still alive" one said jumping from off of a balcony. Another man jumped off to stand behind him.
"Why are you surprised? He does this all the time. I'm surprised Lord Akio still lets him be second in command around here. They must be really close if he can forgive him like this all the time" the other said smirking.
"Any sane person would not follow blindly in to a war. Especially when they don't know who they're up against"
"Then I guess I'm crazy because I would, if I was paid enough"
"Well that's the difference between you and I"
"Why you..." he said grabbing Suichi by the shirt.
"Jiro! We have to wait for the orders!" the other man said grabbing his wrist.
"You're right Taka...you got off lucky this time" he growled. Fed up with waiting Sasuke ran ahead to get inside.
"Wait what are you doing? This could be a trap!" Suichi yelled.
"I don't care! I'm going ahead to get Naruto!" he shot back. Suichi stood there shocked before sighing. As usual, Akio was right again. (And do not tell me this was out of character for Sasuke. The guy jumped infront of a freaking shower of needles for him before.) Surprisingly no one made any move to stop him. As soon as he was near the door Ibu came out and stood infront of it.
"My employer told me to inform you that you will find him inside on the 4th floor in a bedroom. Go straight there without delay or he will become impatient." Ibu said stepping aside. The man said nothing but continued on his way inside.
"Kakashi-sensei! We've got to go with him!"
"I'm afraid that our master said only he could pass. Everyone else must wait until they are done" Ibu said
"Like hell we will!" Sakura barked out.
"Sorry missy. The boss says you're not allowed in. So it's now our job not to let you" Jiro sais smirking. Sakura growled before circulating chakra in to her fists and punching a hole into the ground.
"Well now. Seems to me we're gonna be earning really working for our cut this time around, boys. Don't let 'em fool you, Jiro" Taka said chuckling.
"I guess the boss was doing us a all favor when he told us to take care of only these two. I hear those Uchihas are just as good as Lord Akio" one man whispered.
"If what you say is true then that means not even all of us put together would last if he hadn't given the orders to let only the Uchiha pass. You saw how close he was to taking us out when the barrier fell. I say we finish this up quick so we can go check on the master. Even with his greatness you can never know with those Uchiha"
"Aye. 'Member wat' da eldest did to 'is own kin?" there were many murmurs of agreement before.
"Ye have to hold them back! For the great Lord Akio's sake. The one who saved us from the slums and put a roof over our heads!" another screamed. They all yelled in agreement before picking up their weapons and charging.
"Oh dear, they're joining forces...I guess I'll never get to finish my book, now." Kakashi whined.
"Where am I? How did I get here?"
'About time you woke. Up! You've gotten us into a lot of trouble with that big mouth of yours...again. That brat is gonna have a field day with all of the stuff you blabbed out!'
'What!?! Why didn't you stop me you damned fox?!'
'You should be happy I saved you when I did! But then again...even I never guessed that was the real reason why you fawned over that pink monster so much'
'Oh god...what else did he find out?'
'Just stuff about the mission...oh...and how you think Sasuke's hair is the sexiest thing about him besides his...well you know'
'Please tell me I didn't say all of that' he groaned in his head.
'I told you this was gonna happen someday. But do you listen? No. That's why we're in this mess now. Because all you do is talk, talk, talk!'
'Sasuke is gonna kill me if he finds out about this! I've got to get to that guy before he gets to Sasuke!' Naruto thought suddenly. Then he rushed out the door, only to find Akio heading his way.
"Naruto! There you are! Your friends are outside fighting with the missing-nins. I also saw Sasuke run inside a few minutes ago. We've got to hurry up so we can save them. I bribed one of the guards and he has shown me a way out but we've got to hurry and get out of here. Follow me!" he said pulling him along.
'No way kit! He's trouble!' Kyuubi hissed. Instantly Naruto yanked his hand away.
"What's wrong?" he asked confused.
"I never told you his name...you're the one behind all of this aren't you?"
"Alas, I have been caught. But fear not. I assure you everything will work out in the end, I've never failed. Now if you will just follow me we can-"
"Yeah right! I'm getting out of here!" he said before running in the opposite direction. Just as he turned the corner he skid to a halt as another appeared Akio came out of nowhere.
"I'm sorry I had to do this but you're going to complicate things if I don't" he said before bringing his hand to Naruto's shoulder.
'Sasuke...'he thought right before he was enveloped in darkness.
Inside Naruto's head
"Is he gonna be alright?" little Naruto asked worried.
"Of course he is. It's not like I'd let us die. Don't worry about it. That idiot kid just triggered plan B anyway"
The young Uchiha stopped his running suddenly as he heard what seemed to be Naruto's voice. He looked around to see where the sound had come from but only found vacant halls. This was sort of like a mix between deja vu and an alternate universe. The desperation, worry and suspense all at the same time. This is what it must have felt like for Naruto when they were all in the hideout the first time he tried to get him to come back. At that time he was listless with the exception of one thing on his mind, which was solely focused on killing Itachi. But seeing the boy again and fighting so desperately to get him back caused him to rethink his priorities.
And after time he realized that maybe he was taking the easy way out by going to Orochimaru, and that ultimately defeated the purpose of even going since Orochimaru was going to take over his body...so it wasn't likehe was consciously killing Itachi with his own hands...and as Naruto pointed out, Orochimaru was only interested in him because he couldn't have his brother. His entire life was consumed with avenging his family, something he later decided would make his family and relatives disappointed if they knew what lengths he'd gone to, to do it all. He was sure they wouldn't be happy if it involved seeking training from a rogue ninja, who also happened to kill the Sandaime, as well as murdering his own brother. And that was part of the reason he came back.
Sure Itachi killed their entire family and yet he was still alive and kicking, but Sasuke did have a reason to thank him for what he did. It made him really understand what that mist ninja said so long ago. You don't really have strength unless you protect your precious people. Which lead him to his second reason for returning, with him severing his ties with everyone he was only giving Itachi the chance to wipe out another one of his families. On the day that he finally decided he was done with Orochimaru, he swore that he'd find a way to get back to Naruto...and then never leave his side again. That had become his ninja way. To always protect his precious people, especially his dobe.
'Damn it dobe! Where the heck are you?' he thought turning another corner. As he got farther down the hall, his neck began to pulse. It felt like the curse mark he use to have, only this one didn't hurt like the other did. It felt almost...comforting. And with every step he took it seemed to heat up for some reason. So he decided to follow where it was leading him. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of orange and someone carrying him into the next room. For once Sasuke actually found himself thanking his dobe for wearing such a boisterous color. As he entered the room, he saw it empty yet the mark on his neck was pulsing still, which he guessed meant that the dobe was still somewhere close by. So he began to make his way to what seemed to be a connecting door.
"I wouldn't go that far if I were you. Who knows if there are exploding tags linked to the opening of that door. When this boy is involved, you to act recklessly as I have learned"
"Why do you want him?" he asked restraining himself. He needed to know the situation before he did anything else. Naruto can take care of himself so he isn't in that much danger. That much being the key phrase of course.
"I needed him to use as bait for you, duh! It is not hard to tell you are in love with him..your presence here it evidence enough that you care about him more than you let on"
"He's my teammate. It's our duty to protect each other"
"Still in denial I see. Well fine. I'll prove your infatuation to you. You see, if I were to pull this wire a chain of exploding tags would be triggered in the room he is located in and after that, you would not hesitate to kill me...after you tried to find where he was a get him to safety, before they reached him. Why? Because he comes first in that warped little head of yours. Yes him, not your psychotic brother or that creepy snake pedophile. Protecting him is your number one priority and you know it"
"How do you know about them?"
"I make it my business to know. You intrigue me Sasuke. You aren't like your brother like I thought...well you probably tried to be, but you've fail miserably. So I plan to let you live, I'll let you go now and leave him with me"
"No"
"No? Why the hell not? He'll be taken care of and you'll still be able to go and kill your brother and finish off the one from that Sannin group without him getting away! This time no one will be able to stop you"
"Exactly. That's why I need him...he brought me back...he keeps me here"
"But you have goals. Like avenging your clan and restoring it. You can't do that with a boy, now can you?"
"I know that. And I don't care. I lost him once. I'm not gonna make the same mistake again. So give him to me before I find him myself"
"What's so special about him that you're willing to risk your life for"
"He's the first person to see me for me. Not the avenger or Sasuke Uchiha. Just plain Sasuke...the bastard. He treats me normal. Hell, he even forgave me when I dug a hole through him chest with a chidori...even when I tried to get away from him he just got closer to me. Until I realized I needed him to survive. He's my lifeline and I won't let you take him away from me"
"As touching as that was, I don't think I'm totally convinced yet"
"Do you think I care? Give him back!" Sasuke hissed before charging at him with a kunai in his hand. (Once again, if you say this is out of character I'll be happy to prove you wrong) But in quick movements he was caught and found the kunai at his throat instead. He couldn't remember the last time he lost control of his emotions this much, but he knew that this guy was just toying with him, and that's what was getting to him.
"Easy there tiger. What's the hurry?" he asked. He smirked seeing the Sharingan eyes begin to spin rapidly.
"Since you're so different from your brother I think I can trust you to settle with a deal. I'll give you one question and you must answer it truthfully or you'll never find out where he is. Is that okay with you?"
"Hn" Akio's eye twitched at the grunt.
'I can't stand when they do that!' he thought angrily but he kept his composure on the outside.
"Fine then. Answer this one question. Do you love him?"he asked slowly. Sasuke stood rigid and felt the rest of his words die on his lips.
Ooh another cliffy, don't you just hate me? But I've realized that the everytime I leave one mroe people review. So I'm going to have to break you all out of this. Review or else!