Chapter Eight: Common Sense Isn't A Common Friend

First off, from what I'm seeing, I'm assuming that there are two groups of people who are reading my story. One of them wants 'Atsushi' to be Itachi, and the other wants it to be Future Sasuke. I'm not going to tell you who I chose out of the two when I first started writing the story, but I thought it would only be fair if I made a poll to see majority rules.

The other thing is that I went to San Francisco, and because I don't have a laptop yet, I only had my inner voice to entertain me on the plane and so on. Needless so say, I came up with a few good plots for my next SasuNaru story, and was wondering if you guys would help choose for me after the first poll? (Again another poll)

And that's it…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Kishimoto does… But if I did own it, that would be really cool. I own all OC mentioned the story though! Enjoy ^_^

"Hey! Hand that over, Bastard!"

Naruto threw a well-aimed Rasengan towards 'Atsushi'. The stonewall that separated the room from the hallway crumbled to the ground; something he wished the outer walls would do. Naruto had found out pretty quickly that the fortress walls were pretty much jutsu repellent, so unless he had super fists like Tsunade, he was so out of luck. It had been like this for a week. Naruto would find some sort of weapon or sharp object to help him pick lock his way out (the only sensible way out were the locked doors and windows), and 'Atsushi' would catch him before he did anything. Sometimes jutsus would fly, and sometimes just insults.

"Naruto for the love of…" 'Atsushi' impatiently tugged at his still unevenly cut cropped hair, some of the strands ripping from their roots. Looking at his hand with what Naruto assumed was disgust, (the mask is on his face remember), 'Atsushi' shook the hairs off his gloved hand and trudged off. He made sure to slam the door behind him, leaving Naruto somewhat pleased with annoying his captor for the twentieth time that week.

Naruto couldn't help but feel like 'Atsushi' was one of the worst jailers in the history of captors. He would let Naruto do just about anything… except leave of course.

Naruto crossed his arms in frustration and hopped onto the bed in the room he was staying in. Things really couldn't get that much worse. He was still waiting on the day he thanked 'Atsushi' because it didn't look like it was happening any time soon. The village probably thought he went all missing-nin traitor on them. Kami! What did Sasuke thing?

(Inner Naruto Theater)

Sasuke stood, his back to Naruto. His head was down, but when he turned around, Sasuke's Sharingan eyes were twirling madly. "Naruto! You are the worst! Lower than my brother! You're not fit to be my rival! And to think I actually fell in lo…

Okay, so maybe that would never happen. Naruto tossed and turned on the King Sized bed. There really wasn't that much to do. Getting bored of just laying around, Naruto bounced out of bed and jogged toward the hole in the wall. Checking the hallways for any signs of 'Atsushi', Naruto made his way to the kitchen. It wasn't that big; maybe even smaller than the one in his own apartment. But Naruto expected as much from an abandoned building that was meant for watching for surprise attacks and all. It's not like they were going to make a soufflé in the middle of a battle/war. He suspected that his masked friend had probably fixed the place up, or had been here before because the place wasn't covered with much dust. Hoisting himself up on the wooden counter, he searched for any food that he could warm up in a few minutes. Rustling through the cabinets, Naruto was sadly disappointed to see only three cups of Instant Ramen left in the cupboard.

"I am not getting you anymore."

Naruto, caught off guard, slipped from his bent position on top of the kitchen counter. Closing his eyes and tensing his muscles, Naruto prepared himself from the pain that would follow the impact. But he was greatly surprised to feel two arms wrapped around his waist and his back firmly planted on what felt like a strong, muscular chest. Snapping his eyes open, he was met with an ocean of black material that came from the dark haired boy's shirt.

"I don't need your help!"

Naruto roughly pushed himself off of 'Atsushi', a blush lightly dusted across his scarred cheeks. "And why the hell not? You take me from my home, and lock me in a fucking tower! The very least you can do is get me the food I want! And will you please fix your hair! You look creepy with it like that!"

'Atsushi' was completely silent as Naruto continued to rant. The blonde haired boy would point at random objects in the room, screaming about 'breaking out of the place' and getting some 'better ramen service'. And somehow, he found a way to avoid actually looking at 'Atsushi'. Yes, this was going to be a hell of a time.

"So there's no trace of him yet?" Kurenai murmured to Asuma. She rubbed her palm against her forearm, sneaking nervous glances at their distressed students. The Genin waited anxiously for an answer from Asuma.

After the mysterious missing-nin had swiped Naruto right from under their noses, Tsunade had set up two teams of Shinobi to find him. One team would go out and try to find any tracks left behind, and the other stayed in the village to investigate the case. Unfortunately there was little to go by and even less to find. They couldn't even use the blood found on the sheets of Naruto's bed because when they went back to go get it, all traces of the red substance had been completely wiped off of all the surfaces.

"The only thing we've got is the video from the security camera. And the only thing that really proves is that Naruto didn't leave the village willingly. I'm actually only allowed to reveal this information because some of the other ninja agree that if we are going to find anything about Naruto's connection to this man, then it would be through the people that spend the most time around him. Was Naruto acting strangely or possessed anything out of the ordinary before this incident?"

Everyone shook his or her head. Kakashi looked at the genin with a heavy heart. It wasn't easy losing a teammate and Kakashi hoped that they would be able to find Naruto soon before anything really bad happened.

"Wait a minute! Well… maybe not but…"

All eyes swiveled towards Sakura who looked a little more hopeful then before. Sasuke glanced up from his perch on the window. His eyes glared up at Sakura. The dark rings under his eyes easily indicated that Sasuke had most likely spent nights looking for clues on what happened to Naruto. "Spit it out already."

Needless to say, most the room was pretty tense and nervous with the irritable Uchiha glaring holes into their backs. Sakura blushed with embarrassment before continuing her previous thought. "Alright guys. Do you remember a while back when we were waiting on the bridge and Naruto fell into the river? He had that necklace with him! He said it was important or something!"

Kiba broke out into a large smile and pumped his hand into the air.

"Aw yeah! We are actually getting somewhere now! We'll find Naruto in no time!"

The room started to brighten up, but the mood was killed when Ino immediately twisted around to face the crowd.

"Don't be stupid, billboard brow! That necklace was given to Naruto by Sasuke!" She clamped her hand over her mouth as everyone wore shocked expressions. "I'm so sorry Sasuke! I didn't mean to tell…"

Sasuke looked at Ino like she had lost her mind; a perplexed expression inking its way onto his face. "I thought you gave that necklace to Naruto? Aren't you seeing each other?"

Heads swung back to look at Ino to confirm this new information, but she only shook her head; everyone more confused then they were before. Shikamaru looked at everyone silently, before voicing out the question on everyone's mind. "So if Sasuke didn't give the necklace to Naruto, and Ino didn't either… then who did?"

Kakashi closed his eye in thought, Obito's eye twitching from under the headband. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat, and he cursed rather loudly; drawing the room's attention to him.

"Asuma, did your team check Naruto's gate record?"

"Yeah we checked the past few days. Why?"

Brushing a gloved hand over one of the many pockets in his flak jacket, Kakashi took out a small scroll. Opening up the scroll, he placed it on the table and beckoned everyone over. Even Sasuke approached the edge of the table to see what Kakashi had to offer. Kakashi pointed at the calendar he had assembled on Naruto's training habits. As he explained, he directed their attention to different parts of the calendar.

"I was told a few weeks ago that Naruto had been spending a lot of time outside the village training. At first it didn't bother me, but then one of the gate guards told me it was because Naruto was following my new training plans. I never gave him a training plan. I looked through the records of the past few weeks on when Naruto left the village. You can see that there's a huge difference in the amount of time from these weeks and the weeks following."

"That was when the missing-nin was first reported." Asuma said quietly.

Sasuke tugged at his hair, trying to get all the information straight. "So that means that either when Naruto started training more, it brought the missing- nin out or…"

"Naruto was leaving the village because of the shinobi." Kakashi finished. The room got really silent, as the mulled over the new ideas and thoughts. There was no way Naruto would betray the village; he wanted to be Hokage for heaven's sake!

"This might sound strange, but what if the necklace came from the missing-nin?" Shino said. "This person seems to be the only one left that we know of that might have done it."

"Well if that's the case…" Ino rummaged through her bag of things. She pulled at a tiny bag of trinkets and pulled out what looked like the remains of part of a metal chain.

"This came off of Naruto's necklace. I had to cut some of it off when I fixed it for him."

She carefully handed it to Asuma, who rolled it in his hands a few times before thanking his student. Taking out a bag, he placed it in there, and then stuffed it into one of the pockets of his pants. Checking the time, he excused himself from the room.

After Asuma left the room, the other occupants left to do their own thing. Sasuke slowly made his way through the bustling streets of the village. Looking to his right, where Naruto would usually walk, he was only met with the sight of more shops and people. Getting frustrated, Sasuke leaped up onto the rooftops and back to the Uchiha Clan Compound. "Naruto, where are you…"

Naruto sat at the small table across from 'Atsushi'. He was humming the tune of a song he couldn't remember the name of, while he watched the other man polish a long sharp sword. The encounter they had the previous day in the kitchen still hung in the air; unresolved and still open for discussion.

"No."

"Why not? It's just a food!"

"It's probably the reason why you're a few inches shorter than everyone else your age."

"Is not!"

"It is."

"Is not!"

"I am not starting this. End of discussion. If you want Ramen then beat me in a match. Then maybe I'll think about it."

"Bastard! You are so going to regret ever taking me!"

Launching himself at 'Atsushi', he pulled his fist back and swung it forward. 'Atsushi' easily grabbed onto the fist and slung him over his shoulder. Taking the sword, he carried the squirming Naruto into what looked like an inside training ground. Tossing Naruto onto the ground, 'Atsushi' walked to the center of the area. For the next few hours, Naruto pushed himself to land even the smallest of scratches on him, but by the end of the day, he was only tired and disheartened. Naruto lay sprawled out on the dirt floor. 'Atsushi' sat by his head, dusting the dirt off his pants.

"Look, Naruto. Konoha is not what you think it is. It's corrupt and only holds an image of good things, but it's not."

"If I wanted to leave the place then I would have a long time ago! I should know how harsh and unfair it is in the village, but I also know that it's home and there are good things, too."

'Atsushi' only stared in his direction, tapping a finger lightly on his bent knee. He signed quietly, while bopping his blonde companion on the head.

"If you love it there so much than work harder to find an escape."

Naruto looked at 'Atsushi' through the corner of his eye. The heavy feeling that had been weighing down on his heart the past few days was slowly easing up for reasons Naruto couldn't explain.

"Hey… 'Atsushi'? I don't get it. You take me from home, but you're encouraging me to find a way to leave?"

"I'm not holding you here because I have some sinister master plan to destroy the world. I'm merely doing what I think will benefit the most."

"Benefit who?"

Not saying anything, 'Atsushi' pushed himself off the ground, and held out a hand for Naruto to take. Looking at the black-gloved hand, Naruto hesitantly grabbed it and pulled himself up. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Naruto looked up at 'Atsushi's' mask. Scratching the back of his head, and holding his side from a small cramp he started to feel, Naruto sneaked a peak at 'Atsushi'. Whistling quietly, he tried to act nonchalant.

"So now that I'm stuck with you, I think I need to at least know your real name… Or at least what you look like. I wont tell anyone."

Naruto was disappointed to hear 'Atsushi' only snort in amusement at the suggestion. "Fine if I'm not going to see your face, then let me at least fix your hair. You look like a psychopath with that hair cut."

"This is coming from the guy who cut his hair with a kunai for most his life."

"At least I attempted to make it look nice!"

"Touché."

Leaving it at that, 'Atsushi' and Naruto left the training ground and split their separate ways. Naruto was heading the opposite way before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, his eyes were covered with the familiarly covered hand. He froze as he felt a pair of lips touch his in a chaste kiss before a poof of smoke surrounded him; 'Atsushi' nowhere to be found. Standing in the hall, feeling kind of dizzy from the quick kiss, Naruto snapped out of his shock. How many times was that guy going to kiss him! Naruto went into his new room since his old one was sporting a hole in the wall and jumped onto the bed. Sitting crossed legged, it only took Naruto a few seconds to full register what just happened. If any one had past by the door to the room, they would hear him beating the ever-loving feathers out of one of the pillows on his bed.

'Atsushi' easily pushed the old wooden dresser aside in his room. Adding chakra into his fingers, he pressed a combination of stones on the wall, and let the stonewall move apart to reveal a long tunnel. Of course he couldn't see the tunnel, but he had gone down it several times to know that it was long. Closing the entrance behind him, 'Atsushi' jogged down the path for a few minutes, and then stopped at dead end. Jumping up, he grabbed onto a root hanging above him and swung himself up through a hole in the that was under an illusion much like his own mask. Softly landing onto the ground above, he sent waves of chakra through the area, and after figuring out the direction he needed to go, ran that way. He ran through the trees at an easy pace, enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted. He could tell from the direction and heat of the sun that it was almost sun set, and it made him feel a little bitter at not being able to see it. Speeding up a little bit, he stopped at the edge of a quiet little town. Sneaking through the streets, 'Atsushi' let himself inside of a small little shop.

The bell to the front door twinkled as he entered.

"We're closed! Oh, you're back!"

The middle-aged woman smiled fondly him, the expression not seen but felt by him. "And here I'd thought I wouldn't be seeing you for another five years or something!" 'Atsushi' walked with the woman to the back of the shop, which lead to her connecting house. Sitting down at the chair of her living room table, 'Atsushi' took off his mask, and long black cloak. "It's nice to meet you again, Naime. I actually came to ask for a favor."

The older woman, or Naime, set a cup of tea in front of him, and sat in the chair next to him. "Might this have anything to do with the condition of your hair."

Without his mask, he couldn't hide the slightly embarrassed look that flashed on his face for a moment. "You don't even have to ask. You're like a son to me!"

Skipping over to one of the drawers in the bathroom by her, she pulled out a set of scissors, squirt bottle and so on. Dragging the chair behind 'Atsushi', she set to work.

Naime had come across him when he had first lost his eyesight. He was vulnerable and hated feeling weak. Because of this he lashed out, and struggled, but Naime had stood by him to provide a place to sleep when he stumbled in dead tired, and medicine when he had worn himself ragged. She never asked for anything, saying that helping him would earn her Karma points.

"At this rate, in the next life I'll probably be a Princess of something."

She happily joked under her breath. The quietly chatted for a while as she fixed his hair. When he was finally done she brushed off the cut hair from his shoulder and checked the cut from side to side. "It doesn't look half bad. I'm not an expert or anything, but it looks pretty hot if I do say so myself… That's a term you teens still use nowadays right?"

He couldn't help but chuckle with how at ease she was around him. Feeling his silky hair cut short, he thanked her. "I have to get back."

"Well visit sometime soon. You're always welcome. Here's your mask."

Handing him the mask, Naime waved goodbye to him, and watched him disappear into the shadows of the trees outside her home. Locking the door behind her, she had no idea that she would be seeing a lot more of him then she expected.

Don't forget to check out my poll! I can fit either character perfectly into 'Atsushi', since there is a lot of mysteries surrounding the story still, so feel free to choose which one you want it to be. Thank you for reading! Review! ^_^v

Chapter Nine: Everyone's a Holmes