Short chapter i think...I've been a little busy...hope u enjoy it! Thank you for all your amazing reviews I love you guyzzz...i have to say that on a regular basis, i read every single review and i luv them all!

Enjoy.

Kakashi sat in the Hokage temple, going through the few files on the Grass country's uninhabited areas…

…He read notes, footnotes, and sparse accounts, eventually stumbling upon something that unnerved him slightly.

"The border in that forest...it's…it's trap rigged."

Chapter XXXIV

Seek Me

It was dark, and the temperature was quite a bit more chilly being so far Northwest of Konoha. Sasuke had estimated that they were within ten miles of the Grass Country border earlier that day. Naruto had felt they should keep moving for that last ten miles, but Sasuke had insisted that they stop for the night.

"Sasuke…? Sasuke!" Naruto hissed in the dark. Sasuke was right beside him in the sleeping mat, but wasn't answering, so Naruto took a deep breath for an extra loud whisper.

"Sasu-kun!"

"Hn…" Sasuke grumbled without turning over. Naruto scooted closer up behind Sasuke and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist.

"I don't like it here…it really feels weird." He whispered into the night air. Sasuke turned over, and Naruto closed his eyes as he relaxed in Sasuke's embrace.

"Shut up…go to sleep…" Sasuke murmured, stroking Naruto's hair with one hand. "There's so many alerts I've set up around us…there's no way anything's getting within 100 feet…" Sasuke said to Naruto.

"And…it's pretty here…isn't it?" Sasuke added. Naruto looked up from burying his face in Sasuke's chest, and noticed the clear sky, thousands of stars within their vision above the dark silhouettes of forest trees.

"Wow…yeah…" Naruto glanced back to Sasuke, but he had already dropped out again. Deciding to try and relax, Naruto soon found himself asleep.

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The morning seemed to come quickly; this morning marked their 3rd day away. Sasuke watched Naruto as they both finished packing up their camping site, and realized that he felt strange—almost like he was still sleeping.

"Naruto…" he asked quietly. Naruto looked up as he was just about ready to take a step forward.

"Yeah Sasuke?" Sasuke walked forward, and they both advanced together.

"I feel strange…" Sasuke murmured, staring at his surroundings. He stared intently, making careful note of the trees—the shapes of the trees and leaves. He noted the rocks on the ground. Then he made note of the fact that Naruto had said nothing in response to him.

"Naru-chan." He said. Naruto walked slightly ahead of him, which was also out of he ordinary.

"Do you know where we're going?" Sasuke asked quietly. His dark eyes remained fixed on Naruto's every move. He tried to quell the feelings of distrust inside of him enough so that he could be more rational, but every passing moment made him further unsure of things. Naruto turned around, his blue eyes inquisitive.

"Well…we're going Northwest, right? I guess this is the right direction…right?" Naruto asked. Sasuke kept walking, and so Naruto did also. He didn't answer Naruto this time. He liked to think that his instincts as a ninja would not let him down in this type of situation, and it seemed to him that something was disturbingly out of place. And yet he couldn't put his finger on it. The instability unnerved him. He only became more uncertain when Naruto suddenly stopped walking, and waited for Sasuke to catch up to him, and only then did he continue.

"I don't know really where we're going…and you've been briefed on it so…I'll just let you lead." Naruto was saying. Sasuke glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye suspiciously.

"Where'd that come from…it's almost like he…reset himself. First, he knew, and led, which was strange…then once it became apparent that I thought it was weird, he fell into acting more like how I expect…" Sasuke felt that maybe he was being paranoid, and over-analyzing the situation, but the nagging feeling in his mind and body wouldn't cease.

"Something's wrong." He said plainly.

"Nothing's wrong." Naruto answered almost immediately. Warning flags immediately went off in Sasuke's mind. He silently continued walking as if nothing was happening, though he felt every muscle in his body tense up.

"But Naruto said just last night that he felt weird…this is all wrong. The air…even the air feels wrong…"

----------

"Hm…pretty quiet here without those two around…" Kakashi sat on the roof of the house with his book, and for once, the silence was actually distracting him.

"No students." He sighed and went back to his book, so what came next nearly made him fall off the roof.

"Sensei? Kakashi-sensei!" A voice from the ground. He turned, raising an eyebrow. "Sakura…?" He stood, turning around and walking to the edge of the roof, crouching down to wave.

"I wanted to research where Sasuke and Naruto were going…so I did. Tsunade told me you were there earlier…Sensei there are still strange things going on in the forest up there." Sakura was saying. Kakashi hopped gracefully to the ground.

"There are. I'm guessing Sasuke was prepared for the surroundings in his Anbu meetings…but the records I was looking in are probably pretty unknown. They might not have covered all of that information." Kakashi said. Sakura nodded, then looked down at the ground.

"That's…that's not all I came for…I mean I'm sure they can take care of themselves…but I came because…I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke…and Naruto…and about coming back. Back to Team 7." They looked up at the sky as thunder rolled overhead.

"Let's go on inside before we get drenched." Kakashi said as he stared.

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"Sasuke and Naruto's relationship is the real deal. They love each other…they support each other…they actually need each other, at this point; both of them are dealing with pretty tough stuff. The Kyuubi…the curse seals, etcetera." Kakashi was saying. Sakura was staring at the table, nodding in response.

"I know…And it took forever…but…I'm trying so hard to get past it now!" Sakura exclaimed. Tears formed in her eyes, but didn't fall.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to Naruto...I don't hate Naruto…He's not just a demon to me! He's not the Kyuubi at all, he's…" Sakura paused there in her outburst and fell silent. "You know all this, sensei…I just…I just needed to get over what was happening…I've loved Sasuke most of my life." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and Kakashi waited patiently as she found words.

"I don't know how it happened…but I guess I really can forgive Naruto and Sas—I mean no! Not forgive! It's not a crime…" She paused and recomposed herself.

"I can accept it…And I can be a part of this team again!" Sakura declared. Her hands fisted on the table. "I don't know if I'll ever fully get over Sasuke…the fact that I really believe he's the only one for me…but…" "I can't run away forever…can I…" Sakura finally looked up from the table. Kakashi shook his head no.

"Good to have you back, Sakura. And I know Sasuke and Naruto will be glad too. But…I think that you should know some things since you're part of our team again."

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Sasuke still watched carefully, uncertain and uneasy about his surroundings, and even about his partner.

"Naruto…" He reached over and took Naruto's hand as they walked. Naruto turned to grin cheerily at him.

"Yeah?"

"Naruto. There's been stories about this forest...I use to hear them when I was younger. They say that the chakra here use to do strange things. Chakra traps set up by Grass ninja that lingered, and triggered by those who were unaware, acted as originally programmed. Programmed chakra…" Sasuke paused for a moment, and Naruto made no reply, he only stared. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, inspecting Naruto's face.

"No one really knows what the chakra did…All we know is that most shinobi that encountered that trap long ago…ended up traumatized and frightened, running back to their villages like scared children." Sasuke murmured. Naruto nibbled on his bottom lip briefly.

"Well…if that starts happening, we'll be able to tell, right?" Naruto said. Sasuke took a deep breath.

"I don't know…" he admitted.

"Don't say that…We'll know it for sure!" Naruto was saying cheerily. Sasuke watched as Naruto trotted up ahead, looking around.

"I don't notice anything strange." He added. Sasuke was feeling the exact opposite.

"I keep getting deja-vu. Like…maybe Naruto is repeating actions…movements…words? All from the recent past…" As he thought about it he began to get strange chills. He wished that he had Neji's byakugan at the moment. "I'd be able to see through any ruses…see chakra movements…" Suddenly something clicked in Sasuke's mind. "By now, I'm pretty certain of one thing…either there's a chakra disturbance trap programmed for spontaneous genjutsu…or…" He stared at the back of Naruto's head. "Maybe that's not…" he murmured aloud.

"What?" Naruto said, turned around to look at him. Sasuke stopped in his tracks, and Naruto stared at Sasuke's almost defensive standing stance.

"Naruto…I really…really am uneasy right now." He said openly. Naruto stared at him strangely, then cocked his head.

"About what?" Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright. If I'm supposing correctly, this should work…" "Naruto…what is…the next stage in our relationship? Do you know?" Sasuke asked. He stood completely still and tried to remain expressionless, blanking his mind of all presuppositions, ideas, and emotions, but keeping in mind his memories of when he'd asked that question before. He thought of nothing else. Naruto's blue eyes were practically drilling holes into him. Sasuke received no answer for a few seconds. Then, Sasuke nearly held his breath as Naruto opened his mouth to answer.

"I don't know.. I'm not a good judge of things like that." Came the reply. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he took a step back. Naruto was scratching his head, then gave a broad grin. "I mean… You're the one that's good with things like that, koi. You know, deep stuff. Stuff everyone wish they knew." Sasuke swallowed, his heart-rate picking up slightly, and he could feel it in his chest.

"Wrong answer." He said not another word, and Naruto turned around, and they kept walking. Sasuke stepped cautiously and quietly, his senses completely on edge. "There…that was the secret of the trap…advanced, illusionary chakra programmed almost impossibly to work with the mind…projecting my own memories of Naruto, his movements, his personality as I know it…All I had to do was ask a specific question that would require mine and Naruto's own personal knowledge to realize the correct answer. Naruto and I are engaged, there'd be no thinking about the answer to the pointless question of what the next stage of our relationship is. Naruto would, in reality, probably throttle me for even asking that. And to really seal it…that answer he just gave…it was from weeks and weeks ago, the day after we told Sakura we were in love. Word for word. It's like I'm reading my own mind." Sasuke kept his every concentration on the figure in front of him, making sure nothing escaped his watch.

"That…is not…Naruto."

----------

It had been an hour, and Sasuke had been steadily thinking of a way that he could make his move.

"I can't wait much longer…I don't know what this…this imitation will do. I'm not in a genjutsu…I know it. This is a physical illusion." Sasuke watched the imitation look around, stare up at the sky, then usher him to catch up and stop lagging behind. Sasuke did so, hatching a plan. He moved closer steadily, noticing that as he did so, Naruto moved away discreetly.

"Won't let me get close, huh? You must suspect that I've figured you out. No matter. You have to read my thought patterns about how my kitsune-chan reacts to things." Sasuke donned a smirk.

"Naruto…let's stop a minute." Sasuke suggested. He made a sharp movement at the Naruto mimic, grabbing it's hand, then smoothly slipped his other arm around his target's waist. As expected, Naruto relaxed and went along with it, arms slipping around Sasuke's waist.

"So…Naru-chan." Sasuke reached with one hand to his supply belt discreetly, fingering the handle of a kunai.

"I can't waste any time. No waiting." He moved to whisper in Naruto's ear, his lips softly brushing Naruto's earlobe.

"You…think you have me fooled? Whatever you are…"

"What…Sasuke what are you talking about?" Naruto was saying. Sasuke's breathing was now betraying mental fatigue. His hand above the kunai was suddenly shaking. He'd been so sure about what he knew he had to do, but the body in his arms still, regardless, looked just like Naruto.

"Sasuke…Sasuke answer me!" Naruto was saying, beginning to push back against him. Sasuke clenched his hand on the kunai handle.

"Now! Do it!!" he screamed at himself in his mind, and before he knew it, his body was finally cooperating. He cut his arm across, making a deep, diagonal gash to the body's stomach. The scream that followed made Sasuke's blood run cold. He paled considerably, backing up as Naruto fell in front of him, blood spurting from the slice. "It's not him…It's not Naruto! It's not…" Sasuke made himself repeat. The sight in front of him made him fall to his knees. Naruto was twisting on the ground, tears streaming, arms wrapped around the bleeding slice.

"How could you…how could you do this!! Sasuke it's me!! I'm not an imposter!!" Sasuke stared in horror, the beating of his own heart in his chest becoming painful. He looked away, panting, his emotions making him think he'd made an unthinkable, horrible error, but his instincts trying to keep him mentally stable.

"Don't look at it…Don't look…" He stared blankly into space, his head averted. He heard Naruto's sobbing voice.

"I love you Sasuke…I love you!! How could you do this…How could you mistake me for the enemy!! We'll never get married…I'm going to die…you've killed me…" Sasuke found himself frantically holding back tears from falling.

"This is torture…this is torture! It hurts…" He turned his head sharply back to look. "Stop it!!" he screamed. "Die!! Die already!!" He shrieked, slamming his fists into the ground. Finally a single tear dropped, and just as it did, the form of Naruto on the ground and suffering vanished, immediately replaced by a simple, white, blank faced wooden puppet. Sasuke gasped, staring vacantly at it. Even the blood had vanished. He remained there on his knees, catching his breath as it felt as though a weight had been lifted from him. However, he also felt drained. Squeezing his eyes shut, he wiped his eyes, taking a deep inhale.

"I lost my composure on a mission…it's unforgivable…but that was…that was a mind job…Naru-koi…seeing even an image of him like that…and the fact that I had done it…" He calmed his shaking body, standing up, brushing himself off and looking around himself. Slowly regaining his composure, at least physically, was easy enough, but he was mentally exhausted.

"Naruto… Naruto…where's the real Naruto! And wherever he is…if that illusionary trap chakra is lingering around here, he may be in a trap too…Damn-it..."

"Naruto!!" He shouted first, looking around, then turning and backtracking through the way he and the mimic had walked.

"This thing must've gotten to us while we slept…because before then, Naruto was completely normal. The chakra embodied a planted, hidden puppet, induced a temporary genjutsu to separate Naruto and I sometime during the morning…and it was that simple. The thing to remember here is…There most likely isn't a source of intelligence behind this still. This is lingering artificial intelligence. These are old traps…this is an old forest." He picked up his pace, then remembered to activate his Sharingan, temporarily choosing to ignore the risks of agitating his curse seal in favor of using control methods he'd learned from his Anbu elders.

"Now. I can't use it constantly but…any chakra other than mine or Naruto's will alert me as long as I use it. This won't happen a second time…" He moved even faster, knowing he had no time to waste.

"Please Naruto…if you've fallen into the same trap…please realize it's not me…please…"

Poor Naru-chan...I sure hope he's okay...don't you...? ;-)