Hi guys! Sorry about the super late update, but I moved states and started two new jobs this past month. Please be patient with me! Also, I'd like to say a huge 'thank you' to my reviewers. You guys remind me of why exactly I am writing. Thanks!
Just Naruto
Training ground E was unrecognizable.
Naruto's futon jutsus had sliced through countless trees and uprooted the undergrowth while Sasuke's dotons had demolished, reformed, and re-demolished the earthen floor. The two shinobis looked little better themselves. Rain poured down on them unreservedly until their clothes clung to them with chafing tenacity. Mud mixed with blood as it slipped down their wet bodies, but neither shinobi slackened their assault.
It was a fast-paced exchange as they lashed out and dodged, parried and ducked. Naruto's blood clone was on its last legs, and in a storm of anger, Sasuke pressed his advantage. Feigning a cut to left, Sasuke ducked right and caught the clone's hamstring with his kunai. At least, he thought it was the clone's.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as her clone fell to its knees, crippled. The Uchiha's attack was ruthless and calculating, but she should have been able to dodge it. The clone must have misjudged its position and speed. Her legs were marginally less powerful than they had been a week ago, and the muddy field was wearing on her. Against any normal shinobi, Naruto would still have the advantage. Sasuke was not a normal shinobi, and she still wasn't fully adjusted to her new body.
Not yet, but she was getting there.
Putting space between herself and Sasuke, Naruto brought her hands together and dispelled the clone, wincing almost unnoticeably as its memories of pain were added to her own. But along with those memories were the clone's impressions of the fight. How, on the offensive, she had to step in just a little further to connect a punch, and on the defensive, she had to pull back more quickly to dodge a kick. Sasuke was physically stronger than Naruto, but she could use that against him. She had to be faster, sharper, smarter. She couldn't rely on strength and speed alone. Flexibility and creativity were essential when fighting a stronger opponent. Naruto would have to change her taijutsu accordingly.
First things first. Naruto's orange jacket hung in tatters, tugging uncomfortably on her arms as she fought. It could never be mended. In a swift move, Naruto sliced at the fabric and ripped though the rest. Her ragged jacket landed in the mud, doomed to its fate, revealing the wet, black undershirt that was pasted to her body by rain and blood and sweat. Her womanly figure was well-defined by the black shirt. Naruto didn't notice, but Sasuke certainly did.
For some reason, the sight infuriated Sasuke further, and words exploded from his mouth, "Life is just one big joke to you, isn't it?! And you turning into a girl is just another of your stupid pranks!"
"You think I like this?!" demanded Naruto incredulously. She shot towards Sasuke as she shouted, "Damn it! Do you even know how fucking weird it is to go to the bathroom now? How insane and damn annoying it is when I want to sleep on my stomach, but I can't because of these damn breasts?!" The Uchiha blocked her uppercut and flipped backwards to avoid a low kick."It sucks, and I hate it! But I'm trying to figure this out!" Her fist lashed out and slammed into Sasuke's gut. Sasuke heaved as he lurched away. "Just because I don't turn into some moody asshole whenever I'm worried about something doesn't mean I don't care!"
Naruto's words weren't penetrating Sasuke's conscious. He was angry but didn't know why. Frustrated for a reason that eluded him. The unknowing compounded his anger and frustration until Sasuke saw red.
"Sometimes I think I've got you pegged, Uchiha, then you go and pull shit like this!"
"You attacked me," snarled Sasuke. His kunai raked across her body and came away bloody. "Chidori!" Lightning sparked as he activated the killing technique.
"What the hell," Naruto muttered. She didn't get it. She just didn't get it. "Rasengan!"
Years before at the Valley of the End, their signature jutsus had collided and formed a dense, black sphere of chakra. Back then, the Uchiha was seeking power to defeat Itachi, just as he was fleeing from the perceived weakness of his bond with Naruto. Now, their jutsus met again, and the force of the resulting explosion rebounded on the shinobis and sent them flying.
Feeling a sense of deja vu, Naruto landed on her feet, wincing at the burns caused by the explosion. In some ways, it was so much like the first time that Sasuke had left Konoha. The same angry countenance, the unresponsiveness, the startling bursts of anger. In a flash, Naruto came to a realization. "What are you running from, Sasuke?!" she yelled at him across a newly formed crater.
Though something in Naruto's words struck true, Sasuke spat, "I'm not running away from anything."
"Liar! This all started after I became a girl. You're pissed off or - I don't know - frightened of something!"
Then Sasuke laughed. It was a cold, mocking laugh - the kind he might have had when he was still bent on revenge. "Frightened? You think I'm scared of you?"
"Not of me, bastard, but of something, yeah. You've been brooding since my birthday, and today, something snapped. What happened at the party?!"
"Nothing, except that I was forced to endure your blatant and frankly disturbing descent into female frivolity!"
Naruto took a moment to process his words. "You're mad because I said I liked my long hair?"
"You flaunt it! It's disgusting!"
Incomprehensible bastard, cursed Naruto. She was angry before, but the Uchiha's insult sent her over the edge. With blurring speed, she attacked.
Sasuke was briefly taken aback by Naruto's sudden change in tempo. Where she had been uncharacteristically cautious, she now charged in deftly. Where her aim was slightly off, her blows now struck hard and true. Naruto had always excelled in taijutsu, but this was something more. This new Naruto was graceful and lithe. Anger made her act on instinct as she danced in and out of Sasuke's reach with mesmerizing agility.
The Sharingan followed her movements closely, giving Sasuke clear insight into her developing taijutsu form - and into the changes in her body. "You're so damn happy all the damn time!" Naruto stumbled at his words. "You like all the attention this is getting you!"
Then Sasuke landed a hit that sent Naruto to the ground.
Naruto chuckled darkly as she stood and wiped a trail of blood from her mouth. "I thought you of all people would understand, Sasuke. I'm doing the same thing that you did for your entire life. You didn't want anyone to have an inkling of your true feelings, so you remained aloof. You were tortured by Itachi's betrayal and the death of your family, but you didn't let it show. You hid behind a mask of disdain and indifference. Well, I've got my own mask, Sasuke, and I was wearing it tonight at the party." She spat blood.
"I can't help that I grew up with the nature seal. I can't help that it finally broke. It's not my fault! What do you want me to do? Recreate the seal?!"
Denial sprung to Sasuke's lips, but he forced it back with no small amount of confusion. Wasn't that what he wanted? For his shouting matches and spars with Naruto to go back to normal? For her idiot friends to treat her like a him again? Especially that Hyuuga, and damn Sabaku. And the art freak could shove his inkwell up his -
"If that's what it takes, I'll do it!"
"Che," he sneered instead, "you would change yourself for someone else? How like a girl."
Anger sparked in Naruto's eyes. "Not for someone else. For you. We are a team. You and me. So if it's impossible for you to work with me like this, then, yeah, I'll recreate the seal. We'll go back to the way we were."
Sasuke couldn't deny even to himself the surge of emotion that shot through him at her words. We, she said. You and me.
That unusual feeling. Like leaping in his stomach.
Not for someone else. For you.
Was it...happiness?
Such simple words, yet they evoked a long-forgotten emotion. Not even Sasuke realized before the power that Naruto held over him. And he still didn't understand it. What possible reason was there that the smallest phrase could make his chest feel light. Just who was this Naruto that caused him to be so enraged and fucking happy at the same time?!
Giving into his anger, Sasuke's control slipped. With a shout, he lunged forward and tackled Naruto, slamming a shoulder into her gut. Naruto was caught off-guard by Sasuke's reckless abandon. Her back landed solidly in the mud-caked earth. Without missing a beat, she planted her feet on Sasuke's torso and kick upwards, using the momentum to send Sasuke flying over her head. Sasuke flipped in the air, landed, and sprung back towards the waiting Naruto. His movements were jerky and blunt. He wasn't trying to wear Naruto down before delivering the finishing blow. He wasn't trying to strategically strike and cripple her movements. He was trying to land blow after blow, each more powerful than the last. And Naruto reciprocated.
It wasn't taijutsu. It wasn't even a spar anymore. It was an all-out brawl.
And in the midst of it, Sasuke's eyes locked the bruises and cuts and burns on Naruto's body. The wounds that he had caused. And he didn't like it.
"Get out of my life!" he yelled angrily. "STOP MAKING ME -!"
Naruto shut his mouth with a well-aimed punch.
Ordinarily, Sasuke would have rolled with her fist, minimizing the strength of the impact. But something froze him. Sasuke flew backwards and landed ungracefully in a splatter of mud. As he sat up slowly, his hand moved instinctively to his jaw, where a bone-deep pain emanated, but he didn't feel a thing. He was too busy contemplating the words that slipped unconsciously from his tongue.
Stop making me care about you!
Even back when they were enemies, Naruto had given him a goal. A goal and a promise. In those darkest moments, Naruto had shone like a light - intensely aggravating and persistent, like the morning sun peering through the curtains to awaken the one who rested in darkness. Sasuke still didn't understand his current rage, but he had the feeling he was finally on the right track.
Long ago, Naruto had called him brother, and he had finally accepted the inevitable, allowing the blonde closer than any other being. But Naruto was no longer his brother. She couldn't be because she was a she. So then what was she?! How could he classify her? How could he fit this new Naruto back into his world?
Sister flitted through his mind, but he rejected the notion before it could even surface.
Friend?
Maybe. But Sasuke instinctively felt that friend wasn't quite right either.
Naruto stood above him, chest heaving and body shaking from exertion. That indomitable will, that unbreakable determination - they were focused on him. Solely on him. Her blue eyes blazed with unrepressed emotion, and Sasuke felt a visceral tug in his gut. A tug towards Naruto.
He was attracted to her.
The realization hit him like streak of lightning.
Attracted to her.
He was -
Hell no!
Impossible! he yelled at his deceiving mind, completely impossible. This is Naruto, the blonde-haired idiot. Usuratonkachi! There is no way in hell I'm attracted to her!
But a devil in his mind whispered, Then why did you want to kiss her when came out of the shower?
Sasuke wasn't sure how to explain that, other than calling it a temporary glitch.
And when you were chasing her after the prank, why did you suddenly stop?
Sasuke was not a morning person. More like he tended to blow things up if he was roused before his alarm went off. He had finally managed to grab a few hours of sleep, and after growling ferociously at the loud noises outside that had awakened him, he had stumbled towards his bathroom for a hot shower. Opening his door, he heard an unusual clatter, and his sleep-fogged senses alerted him a moment too late.
A pail balanced haphazardly on top of the door overturned, drenching Sasuke in chakra-based ink, and his only cognizant thought was a memory of a little blonde-haired genin placing a dusty eraser over the door of a classroom to meet the head of their chronically late sensei.
Then he detected a chakra signature and, with a snarl of anger, leaped out his window only to meet hundreds of ink bombs arcing towards him. He could have blocked them all with his kunai with ease, but that would only cause them to erupt on him instead. So he dodged.
Naruto had transformed herself into one of the ink bombs, and she appeared behind him with a bucket of white paint. The damage was done.
He had chased her. Heedless of the sight he made running through Konoha, he had determined to exact his revenge. To throttle her for daring to disturb his rest. For daring to prank him. But as he closed in on Naruto, something happened.
He saw her eyes shining with merriment, her cheeks flushed with excitement from the thrill of the chase, and her lips quirked in a mischievous grin.
As though captured by the Nara's Kagemane no Jutsu, Uchiha Sasuke stopped in his tracks and stared at the sight. Because, in that moment, Sasuke thought Naruto beautiful.
Beautiful.
Naruto.
But she's been a boy for eighteen years! How can I suddenly be attracted to someone I've always believed was a boy?
Maybe this isn't as sudden as you think.
Sasuke's eyes widened. Unbidden, a memory flashed before Sasuke's eyes.
... ... ...
{Flashback}
"Sage Mode," Naruto whispered. "It can't be, but - it - it's Sage Mode. It's Sage Mode! It's gotta be! Sasuke, I love you!" In jubilation, Naruto ignored the bewildered Uchiha and bit his thumb.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" he yelled.
... ... ...
Naruto had disappeared, and Sasuke was left then, for a moment, he'd been floored by a strange feeling that swept over him. Cries of 'Sasuke, I love you!' had reverberated in his mind.
A little thrill had tingled through Sasuke's body.
What does this mean?! he demanded of less clueless part of his mind.
It means that Naruto, boy or girl, has always been special, but it's only now that you realize it. You were already starting to become aware before his birthday. Remember the 'joke' you played on him?
... ... ...
{Flashback}
With the nimble skill of an S-class shinobi, Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the arm and whipped him sideways into an alley. Taking advantage of Naruto's surprise, he backed the blonde into a wall and leaned over him. "Who says," he whispered seductively, "I like girls at all?"
Blue eyes met his dark ones for a long moment.
"Then you're gay?" came Naruto's nonplussed response.
Huh? thought Sasuke dumbly. It - it was supposed to be a joke. Naruto should have screamed and run away by now.
Seconds ticked by as Naruto watched Sasuke calmly and Sasuke stared in mute shock, slightly paler than usual.
... ... ...
In present time, Sasuke yelled at his other self, But it really was a joke! They're rare, but they do happen!
But would you, the proud remnant of the Uchihas, behave so frivolously without a hidden motive?
The shock he'd felt at Naruto's response back then had been palpable, but mixed with it, so deep down that Sasuke hadn't recognized it, was a tendril of hope.
I'm - I'm not gay, he thought numbly. Clearly, if I'm attracted to the female Naruto, then I'm not gay.
Well, you're not attracted to other girls, now are you?
Well, no. At the moment he couldn't think of a single girl -
It's just Naruto. Boy or girl, it's just Naruto.
Somehow the whisper of his mind left him breathless.
"Hey, bastard! You still alive?" called a voice as if from a distance.
Years ago, he had run away from Konoha, partly to escape his bond with Naruto. Now, he was running away again, distancing himself from the one closest to him and the undeniable effect she had on him.
Naruto. Just Naruto. It had always been just Naruto.
"You better be - 'cause I'm not done yet!"
There were few people Sasuke had truly cared about throughout his life, and all but one of them was dead. The question now what was he would do about it.
"Oi! Bastard! Get the hell up!"
Sasuke started. He was sitting in a puddle of muddy water. The rain had turned into a mere drizzle, and Naruto was hunched over, not far from him, with her hands pressing down on her legs as she panted from exertion. Sasuke was no less exhausted.
"You hear me, Sasuke? I'm still going to beat your ass into the ground."
True to her words, Naruto pushed herself forward and stumbled towards Sasuke with her hand tightened into a fist. Only halfway standing, Sasuke instinctively raised his defenses, his body responding while his mind was embroiled in frantic thoughts. What was his next step? How should he respond to this monumental shift in his perspective?
He didn't know what to do.
Naruto slammed into Sasuke, using her weight to push them forward. Sasuke landed back on the ground with Naruto on top of him, pinning him solidly beneath her. The blonde grabbed his shirt, yanked him upwards, and slammed his torso back down. His head jerked as it hit the ground.
"Damn it, Sasuke," whispered Naruto, leaning over him as she held his arms at his sides. "The only reason I was able to tell everybody tonight is because you told me not to worry, because you said that they wouldn't care in the end. I wanted you there tonight because I trust you, because I knew you'd have my back. And you did. When they kept asking questions that I didn't know the answer to and talking over me, you changed the subject. You turned it back to our rivalry and got Lee started."
Sasuke didn't remember it that way at all, but he let it slide.
"You stood up for me in your own bastard way, and you did it because you're my friend. Because we are friends."
"I don't know how to be friends with a girl," he replied sullenly. And I definitely don't know how to court one. Wait, court? That's what Mom called it. Sasuke hadn't the foggiest notion how to win Naruto's affections. With any other girl he could simply look at her without glaring, and she would do the rest. He couldn't help but wonder how Naruto would react if he told her that he might have feelings for her.
Wait.
Feelings?! Since when did he have feelings?! It was just attraction! A natural occurrence between a male and a female, damnit! Boys like girls, and girls like -
Sasuke felt a sinking sensation in his stomach as he remembered the Inuzuka's question at dinner - Weird. And does she still like girls or does she switch to -? What if Naruto didn't even like men?
While Sasuke was figuring out the ramifications of his latest realization, Naruto was mulling over his words. "So you've been all angry because you thought you were losing your best pal? That's it? That's -" Naruto paused to contemplate. "That's kind of...cute, Sasu-chan," she said almost flirtatiously.
Dark eyes widened in surprise before Sasuke realized that Naruto was only joking.
"Puh-lease, Sasuke," said Naruto, rolling her eyes. "I'm not exactly a super feminine girl, you know? I'm not going to turn into one of your psycho fangirls. And yeah, I guess I'll change some, but I'm really the same person as ever. Look, we'll start this like we did when you first came back to Konoha. When you get all angsty, we'll spar, and I'll beat the crap outta you. Wha'da ya say?"
He still didn't know how to approach the matter of his feeli- the matter of his attraction, but he knew that he could trust in Naruto's bullheadedness to keep them together long enough for him to figure it out. Sasuke felt the tension drain from his body. "As if," he said, unable to hide a small smile.
Seeing the smile, stunted and fleeting as it was, Naruto slumped in relief. They didn't speak for several long moments as they basked in the post-spar catharsis, with the unspoken but mutual understanding that the fight was over. Sasuke was alternating between feeling a strange, new sort of excitement and a substantial amount of contentment that he finally understood the reason for his brooding and bouts of anger. Then Naruto shifted on top of him, and Sasuke's thoughts were yanked sharply back to the here and now.
Somehow, while they were talking, the firm hold Naruto had on Sasuke had slackened, and the two shinobis had unconsciously shifted to a more comfortable position.
A more compromising position.
Naruto was straddling Sasuke. Her hands were pressed against him, fingers splayed across his chest, and her butt was situated just above the line of Sasuke's pants.
Oh my. Yes, he was indeed attracted to Naruto. The flush of unnatural heat coursing through his body told him that much.
"Oh, erm." Naruto scratched her sopping wet head, feeling suddenly uneasy. Sasuke's eyes were dark in a way she had never seen before. She pushed herself off of him and stood. "So, um, good. We're back to normal. Everything's normal. Completely normal. You're still a bastard, and I'm still -"
"- usuratonkachi."
"- Naruto." The blonde glared at Sasuke who was in the process of standing up, mud slipping down his body. She probably wasn't looking her best either, but she paid no mind and instead watched Sasuke. The pinched expression he had worn the last few days had eased. He looked almost relaxed. "Che, teme!" But Naruto was secretly grinning.
Truly, they communicated best through fighting.
... ... ...
Oi, fuzzy! Gimme my chakra back. I'm dying here! yelled Naruto to the demon fox in her mindscape a few moments later.
You still lack respect, shrimp.
Oh, Your Awesomeness, King of the Bijuus, Lord of the Fuzzies! Please, oh please, return my chakra! Naruto made an exaggerated show of prostrating herself before the Kyuubi.
Kurama snorted. Next time, stick to the first two addresses. Then his voice became softer. You did well in your fight, kit.
In her usual embarrassed gesture, Naruto's hand moved to the back of her head and scratched it while she wore a giant grin. Heheh, yeah! Now I've just gotta beat Neji and Lee and Kakashi and...hmm, maybe Shikamaru, if I can convince him. Choji's pretty darn strong too. Then there's Kiba and Shino. Hmm, Sai and Kakashi can introduce me to the toughest guys in ANBU and -
There will be no training grounds left in Konoha by the time you're finished.
Heh, Sasuke and I did do a number on it, didn't we? Good thing we're pretty far from the village center. Naruto's voice became thoughtful. It's funny. I was convinced Sasuke was going to leave the village again. I thought he'd gotten sick and tired of it all, and he was just to use my little gender problem as a rotten excuse to hit the road. Turns out he was just feeling like he'd lost his best friend! And he was probably mad that the others accepted the switch so much more quickly. I'm gonna tease him like mad about that, dattebayo!
Kurama didn't comment. He was less convinced that that was the only reason for the Uchiha's Pissy Princess mood. He'd seen the way the Uchiha looked at Naruto only minutes before, and unless he was very much mistaken, the damn brat would be looking at Naruto like that a whole lot more often from now on. Which left Kurama with the question of how best to scare him off.
Then Kurama's muzzle widened in a full-on, toothy grin. Oh yes. He would use every bit of his resentment towards the Uchiha clan to make the Sharingan brat's love life a misery. Whoever said revenge wasn't satisfying?
Oi! Did you forget something? My chakra!
The Kyuubi grunted disinterestedly, his mind already occupied by more important matters, and released his hold.
Like water soaking into dry land, Naruto's chakra returned to her. More than half of her usual reserves had been cut off during her fight with Sasuke. She pulled out of her mindscape. "Man, that sucked! We only fought for like half an hour, and I was totally out of chakra!"
Sasuke grunted. "At least yours wasn't sucked out by a lucky idiot." His words sounded unforgiving, but they lacked bite. He was trying his best to slip back into the normal insulting banter that Naruto would expect of him. He couldn't let her have an inkling of his thoughts. Not yet.
"Awww, having a pity party, are we? Sa-su-ke-kun?"
The Uchiha wrinkled his nose in distaste. Naruto had sworn she wouldn't turn into a fangirl, but she was taking it a step further. She was openly mocking the fangirls by imitating them. The worst part of all - and the reason that Sasuke was careful to act disgusted - was that he wouldn't actually mind if she started adding the "-kun" to his name. With Naruto, it was somehow...endearing.
"Hn. Hardly, baka -" He cut off abruptly as a familiar feeling swept through him. His body suddenly felt less exhausted, more powerful. Sasuke looked at his hand as though he could see the chakra coils in it. "My chakra's back. So quickly," he said in confusion.
Naruto grinned. "It was a repression seal. I didn't suck out your chakra, I just locked it away for a while."
"So if the battle had lasted longer -"
"Yeah, it still would have come back, and I'd have been toast. Good thing you suck at recognizing seals."
"Hn," he grunted noncommittally. "So...you going back to the party?" he asked casually.
"I'm a filthy mess," she said, looking down at her ragged clothes and laughing. Sasuke was careful to take a long look at her messy form, as well. "If I go back, they'll know that I ditched them, and Sakura'll probably kill me."
Despite himself, Sasuke's stomach gave a little lurch. Naruto had ditched her idiot friends to chase him down. Was he a fool for being happy about that? Probably. More importantly, she was free now, and her pesky friends wouldn't be around to bother them. Naruto was his for the evening if he didn't screw this up.
An odd hammering, which felt suspiciously like it came from his chest region, made Sasuke swear at himself with a vengeance. His body was behaving ridiculously, betraying his Uchiha composure. It was being irrational, and Sasuke was, first and foremost, a rational man. Naruto was passionate, and he was rational. That was just the way it was - or should have been. Thoughts of a passionate Naruto weren't exactly helping the problem.
Damn.
Sasuke took a quick moment to order his body to behave, but he may as well have told it to wear green spandex for all the good it did him. His heart rate increased. Sasuke cleared his throat. "Want to grab some ramen?" he asked the blonde with feigned calm. "My treat."
Normally, Naruto's blue eyes would light with excitement as she threatened to deplete Sasuke's wallet. Normally, Naruto would run ahead and shout back at Sasuke to hurry his pale ass up. What happened was the exact opposite. Her face fell, and her eyes dimmed. She mumbled something under her breath and shuffled her feet anxiously.
Shit. I forgot about the Ichiraku's daughter.
Then she looked up at him, and there was a painful tightness to her smile. "Nah, not this time."
Now I feel like an ass, thought Sasuke dourly.
"I'm going to Mount Myoboku," she said instead, raising her hand to bite her thumb.
"What for?" he asked quickly. Think up an excuse to keep her here! yelled inner Sasuke.
"I've been working on something, but if I get it right and he appears in Konoha, everyone will panic. Kuchioyse no Jutsu!"
"You interrupted my mud bath!" yelled Gamakichi through a cloud of smoke.
"Hardly," said Naruto, gesturing to the muddy training field. "Let's get going."
"What are you -?"
Poof!
Sasuke stared at the spot where Naruto had disappeared, glaring at it as though it would be able to return her to him if he looked scary enough. But on second thought, maybe her leaving was for the best. He needed time to think. Time to figure out just what the revelation of his feelings meant.
Not feelings, damnit! Attraction! Simple acknowledgement that she is physically appealing!
That devilish voice inside his mind mocked him, and Sasuke realized he was fighting a losing battle. Groaning somewhat miserably to himself, Sasuke turned towards home and a hot shower, determined to put Naruto from his mind until he was ready. But though he tried to shove it away, the memory of Naruto resting on top of him, of the weight of her body pressing down on him, surged to the forefront of his thoughts.
Right. A cold shower it would be.
He had barely walked five steps towards Konoha when, without warning, three ANBU appeared around him.
Sasuke started, having been too ensnared in his thoughts to sense the ANBU. Cursing his negligence, he took in their aggressive postures, the way they surrounded him, the way they tensed when he shifted on his feet. It could only mean one thing. "You waited until Naruto was gone, didn't you? Cowards."
"Uchiha Sasuke," said the Rabbit-masked ANBU, "you are under arrest for treason against Konoha."
Heheh, shit got real. Hope you enjoyed the touch of SasuNaru in this chapter! Originally, I imagined Sasuke staying in denial a little longer, but I think he turned out, as Naruto jokingly said, "kinda cute." What do you think?