BIG HUGE THANKS TO: Kakashis-First-Kiss for beta-ing quick-like!

Thanks To: Death Rider, goldchild, azurefirewulf, AngelGrl13, Stoic-Genius, mpreg, narutodippy, the randomist, hogo-chan, crimsondeathhurts, RedMoonLight009, creepy crab, Syciara-Lynx, JigokuShoujosRevenge, Lady Renyel of Arella, Anonymous Sister of the Author, Soulcaster, WhiteWolf-BlackCat, black55widow, DarkRavie, Kyuubiluver, meatwad, and ItaSasuLuvr for reviewing and voting because most of you did!

RESULTS OF THE VOTE: Happy Ending with Smut won with 13 votes. There were 3 addition votes for smut happy or sad and 3 more for happy with or without smut. There was 1 vote for Sad with Smut and 1 for Sad without Smut. I am thinking of writing a few alternate endings, but I have no idea when or even if I will write those. -Morana

It took a while for Naruto to exhaust his tears. And when he finally did, he was reluctant to release his hold on Kabuto, as though he was afraid the man would just slip away again.

"What now?" he whispered against Kabuto's chest.

"Well, that's up to you. You could go back to the Leaf-" Naruto's grip on Kabuto tightened almost painfully, "-I won't send you away though; I already said I wouldn't do that again."

"Then I am I allowed to stay with you?" There was hesitance in Naruto's voice; he remembered all too clearly the pain associated with the last time Kabuto had answered that question.

"Only so long as you want." Kabuto said, gently stroking Naruto's golden hair. Naruto pulled away from Kabuto and fixed him with defiant eyes.

"It'll always be what I want!" Kabuto simply raised an eye brow.

"We'll see if you think the same in a few years, but for now we need to convince your village not to come looking for you." Naruto watched Kabuto pull out a scroll and a wrapped bundle of cloth. Aware of Naruto's eyes on him, Kabuto turned to Naruto.

"It might be more pleasant for you not to watch," he said calmly. He carefully rolled out both the scroll and the black cloth. The scroll revealed a complex set of summons and the cloth a shinny surgical set.

"W-what are you going to do?" Kabuto picked up one of his blades examining it closely before putting it back and selecting another.

"Do you remember when Sai betrayed your team and joined Orochimaru?" There was no honorific ending, but Naruto heard the hesitation. Naruto nodded slowly.

"I made a body look like Sai in an attempt to delay your team. I'm going to do the same now, only I have more time and therefore won't make the same mistakes with your faux body as I made with Sai's. It won't be pleasant for you to watch. If you don't want to watch, please, just turn around. But don't leave the clearing; Suigetsu might still be around." Naruto nodded, but didn't turn around until the scroll was used to summon a nondescript male body around his height and weight.

For a while there was silence except for the very soft sounds of Kabuto working. Finally there was the rustling sound of Kabuto sitting back.

"There. Now I need to know if you have any distinguishing marks I don't know about that Konoha does." Naruto was silent for a moment and then, without turning around, he twisted his arm around and presented his wrist to Kabuto. With his back turned, he didn't see how Kabuto's face darkened.

"What is this?" Kabuto asked quietly.

"I have them on both wrists," Naruto said quietly, dodging the question, "Do you need to see the other one?"

Kabuto's eyes widened and he went to kneel in front of Naruto.

"Yes, I would like to see them both, but why?" Naruto looked uncomfortable. It was hard to tell Kabuto that he'd done this to himself, but he was sure from the nature of the marks Kabuto already knew. Besides, that wasn't Kabuto's question. Telling Kabuto he tried to kill himself would have been easier then telling him why, but Naruto took a deep breath and began.

"Because I can still feel his eyes on me. In every shadow his eyes stare at me the way they used to. Whenever I shut my eyes I can hear his voice in my head, and sometimes I don't even need to close my eyes. And if I sleep," Naruto cringed and his voice faltered but he kept talking, "I don't even want to think about when I sleep, because when I do he's there and I can never stop him." Kabuto looked horrorstruck as he traced the faded lines on Naruto wrists.

"I still don't understand; you were home. They should have kept you safe from anything!" Naruto turned his head so as not to look at Kabuto.

"Without you there, there was nothing to protect me from him," Naruto said softly. Kabuto's eyes widened, but then his facial expression softened.

"Orochimaru is dead; Sasuke decided he would rather keep his body then give it to someone too weak to take it." The shock of those words barely registered in Naruto's mind, and Kabuto reached out and turned Naruto's face towards him. "Besides, I'm here now, and I will be for as long as you want me and even when you don't, I won't be far." Then Kabuto leaned forward and gave Naruto a soft kiss before getting up and going back to his work.

Naruto sat very still. The kiss had been so soft Naruto wasn't sure it had happened, but more than that there had been nothing more to then a kiss. It hadn't been hungry, or lustful, or demanding, it had just been a small innocent kiss, given, not taken. Kabuto's voice brought Naruto out of his musings.

"There; it's safe to turn around; it just needs your clothes, unless we want your village to wonder what short of enemy would steal an orange jump suit." Naruto was too busy being amazed by his dead likeness to hear Kabuto's request for a minute but it was noticeable when he did. His eyes widened in horror.

"What?! I only have one! Do you know just how inconvenient caring two of these things around would be? If I give dead-me the clothes then I won't have anything to wear!" Kabuto looked as though he were contemplating Naruto's words, and for a moment it looked like he might decide that he didn't really mind Naruto running around without his clothing, but he reached into his bag and pulled out small dark roll of clothes. Handing them to Naruto, Kabuto turned slightly to offer the boy some privacy, and again Naruto was shocked by how caring Kabuto could be.

Kabuto's clothes hung loose on Naruto slightly-smaller body, but they fit well enough. Naruto felt odd watching Kabuto dress the body that looked so much like him.

"Naruto, I need the First's necklace. You wear it under your shirt so a normal attacker wouldn't know you had it." Naruto hesitated, and as his fingers brushed the necklace, memories flooded his head.

I will be Hokage! His own promise echo in his head. Being Hokage meant a lot of things, but helping a wanted criminal fake your death was probably not one them. You probably weren't supposed to love said criminal either.

"Naruto." Tear-filled blue eyes met concerned black ones and Naruto lifted the necklace from his head, "I guess I wasn't ever meant to be Hokage." Kabuto flinched as if struck.

"You could still be Hokage." Naruto shot him a look. "Until you leave this clearing with me, you'll have never committed a crime." Naruto opened his mouth but Kabuto silenced him. "Being Hokage is your dream. Don't give it up without giving it some thought." Naruto looked at Kabuto and then down at the necklace.

"Dreams change," he said before standing. He placed the necklace around the cold neck himself. Kabuto nodded and then put his hand almost hesitantly on Naruto's shoulder.

"Come on, we need to find a stream to wash my blades or they'll get ruined. Besides, I would like to be away from here soon." Kabuto stood to leave, but Naruto remained standing.

"It feels so wrong leaving them lying there unburied."

"There's nothing else we can do. They were ninja; they knew their deaths wouldn't be pleasant." Naruto nodded.

"Still…"

"Kakashi's dogs undoubtedly know their master is dead and Konoha will be here soon for their ninja." Naruto nodded and finally turned his back on his fallen comrades and on his village.

AN: Look an update! Go me! As of Tuesday I will only be able to get on the internet on Sunday. The reason for this is Wednesday is the start of Lent, which I observe as an Episcopalian, and I am choosing to give up the Internet for anything but school for my Lenten discipline. Lenten means something that has to do with Lent. Lent is the 40 days of preparation for Easter during which time people give things up to remind them that their relationship with God. Generally it's something that they use or do a lot but don't really need. I chose the internet. I like I said before I'll still be on on Sundays as Sundays are like mini –Easter, but there is only so much a person can do in a day. I hope ya'll understand, if you have any question please just ask me and I'll do my best to explain. –Morana