After Orochimaru had disappeared they had moved to the meeting room the inn had provided for them.
Lee stood next to Sakura, a calming hand on her arm, looking curiously between Sasuke, who stood silently behind Naruto, for once having his Anbu mask hanging from his hip instead of covering his face, and Shikamaru, who was sitting a few seats from Naruto, his cheek resting on his palm.
Sakura continued. "He said he's a chuunin, but he can hold a Kage Bunshin long enough that the clone appeared injured. That's incredibly difficult. How did he even learn the technique? It's forbidden! No chuunin should be able to perform it."
"Sakura, we did know a shinobi who could use Kage Bunshin as a genin," Lee reminded her, not noticing the other three men in the room shift subtly at his words.
"This is different, Lee. Naruto was trustworthy."
Naruto didn't know whether to be pleased she thought so highly of him or offended that she didn't consider the current him trustworthy. It was bizarre to be praised and insulted in the same sentence.
Silence had descended over the room. It was rare that Naruto was talked about, even among those he had been closest to; it was a wound that had never fully healed. There was also an unspoken agreement that the subject was never broached around Sasuke, and now Lee and Sakura were watching him warily for a reaction. Shikamaru might have been slightly worried himself if he hadn't known Naruto was sitting in front of Sasuke looking slightly puzzled at the sudden quiet.
Shikamaru finally spoke. "Sakura," he said. "Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sasuke, and I fully trust him. There's no cause for alarm."
"Shikamaru, he knows a forbidden jutsu. Plus remember what Ino said-"
"Can everyone stop talking about me as if I'm not sitting right here?" Naruto interjected, eyebrows raised.
Everyone turned to him. He was looking at Sakura. "I told you I was technically a chuunin," he said. "I've never taken the jounin exam so I can't claim to be one, but my skills are likely at jounin level."
"Then why didn't you tell us that upfront?" Sakura demanded.
"Because the way you and Ino talk it is impossible to get a word in edgewise!" Naruto said in exasperation.
It grew quiet for a moment as Naruto rolled his eyes and the other three men in the room awaited Sakura's response with bated breath.
She did not take criticism well.
Sure enough: "Who the hell do you think you are?" she yelled, making to lunge for him. For his part Naruto didn't even flinch. Lee managed to get a hold of her before she could get anywhere.
Shikamaru sighed. Women were so troublesome.
Sasuke chose to ignore Sakura. "Well, at least we know for certain that Orochimaru's alive."
Sakura quieted down.
"And what he's after," Shikamaru added, glancing at Naruto.
Naruto stood. "Are we done? I'm going to bed."
Shikamaru appeared thoughtful, then he nodded. It was fast approaching dawn. The last thing he wanted was several of his most skillful companions ill rested. "Go ahead." Turning to the rest of the shinobi in the room he said, "All of you should get some sleep as well. Orochimaru's nearby, battle could begin at anytime."
With one last glare at Naruto, Sakura left in a huff, Lee trailing after her after smiling at them.
Sasuke watched as Naruto walked out without another word. With a quick goodbye to Shikamaru he trailed after him. Naruto had said he was going to bed but Sasuke knew that couldn't be true. And there were things they needed to talk about; the silent treatment had gone on long enough.
Sasuke only gave a short knock of warning before walking into Naruto's room. It was furnished just as his own room down the hall was. A bed was in the center, with a nightstand next to it, one chair, and a set of dressers stood against the far wall.
The room was dark and Sasuke almost thought that Naruto hadn't come back until he caught sight of the light in the corner where the bathroom door was slightly ajar. He removed his katana and set it near the door, his mask resting on the hilt.
"Naruto?" he said, pushing the door open.
Naruto's back was to the door and he was hunched over the sink. Sasuke heard him spit before he straightened, seemingly ignoring him. He wiped his mouth then took a drink from the glass of water in his hand, sloshing it around his mouth with a grimace before leaning over and spitting again.
This time Sasuke saw the red tint the water had to it as it disappeared into the sink.
Naruto straightened again, not turning, but meeting Sasuke's gaze in the mirror that hung over the sink. "Haven't you heard of knocking?" he said.
"Are you hurt?" Sasuke asked, completely ignoring his question.
"I bit my tongue when Orochimaru kneed me in the jaw," Naruto said with a shrug, taking another mouthful of water.
"I thought that was a clone," Sasuke said.
"No," Naruto said after spitting again. "I didn't get a chance to Kage Bunshin until the bastard almost knocked me off the roof. He was so pleased with himself he didn't notice the real me slide down from the building."
"You should have told Sakura you were hurt, she could have healed you."
"And pulled down my mask, discovered who I am, faint, recover, and tell everyone within a twenty mile radius," Naruto said. "I'll take my chances with the glass of water. Besides, it'll be healed in a few hours anyway."
Sasuke grimaced at the overt mention of Kyuubi. He backed out of the bathroom as Naruto made to exit, setting the cup on the sink as he did.
Sasuke watched as he made his way to the bed, flopping down on his back and draping an arm over his eyes.
"Oh, what I wouldn't give to sleep," he murmured, so low that Sasuke almost didn't catch it.
The raven haired man felt a wave of intense anger at the fox. It wasn't fair that Naruto had to deal with this. No one should have to. No wonder Naruto was thinking about-
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked.
A weary "Hmm?" was his reply.
Sasuke wasn't sure he really wanted to broach this subject, but he continued anyway.
"The other day, when you said you were going to face Akatsuki alone," Sasuke fumbled for the words and Naruto sat up, patiently waiting for him to speak. It was rare to see the other man so flustered and Naruto smirked slightly as Sasuke searched for a way to say what he wanted to say. "Did you really-do you really want to-" Sasuke stopped, looking uncomfortable, and Naruto decided to put the poor man out of his misery. He knew what Sasuke was trying to ask.
"Yes," he said, meeting Sasuke's eyes. "I would like to die."
Sasuke sucked in a breath. He hadn't been expecting such a direct answer. "But-"
"Sasuke, I haven't slept more than an hour at a time since I was seventeen. Any normal man would be dead already. If it weren't for Kyuubi's refusal to let me drop dead from exhaustion I would be. I am slowly loosing myself to a demon that will kill everything in its sight if given the chance. I rarely have human contact for fear that somehow people will discover I'm alive. The only company I ever have is from frogs, and even that is rare. Everyone I know thinks I'm dead. Do you have any idea what a tired, miserable, and lonely existence I lead? Dying would be a relief I can't even begin to comprehend."
"I know you're alive," Sasuke snapped. "Isn't that enough?" He had lived through the loss of his friend once, but the idea of trying to do it again was unfathomable.
"You shouldn't know that I'm alive, Sasuke. It's not safe for anyone to know. That's why I left in the first place."
"I can protect myself. Don't act like I'm helpless. Who are you to say we can't know you're alive?" Sasuke said angrily. "What gives you the right to make that choice for us?"
"No one can protect themselves from this," Naruto said. "This is not some shinobi. This is Kyuubi."
"That's not the point. You should give us the option! Are you afraid we'd choose to leave you alone? Is that why you ran away?"
"No," Naruto whispered. "I was deathly afraid that for some stupid, stubborn reason, people would choose to stay with me. I cannot watch those important to me die by my hands. I refuse to do it."
Sasuke didn't answer him. They hadn't noticed, but the morning sun had begun to peer through the window. There was a sound of a knock, and Sasuke went to answer the door, grateful for the distraction.
Neji stood in the hall, fully dressed, including his mask.
"They're coming," he said simply.
Sasuke was instantly sobered by the news. "Shikamaru knows?"
Neji nodded. "He's outside now."
"Gather the rest of the Anbu, we'll meet outside in five minutes."
"Hai," Neji said, disappearing.
Sasuke closed the door, turning to see Naruto, his mask once again in place.
Naruto shrugged. "Duty calls."
Sasuke grabbed his fox mask and katana from their position against the wall and secured them into their places.
"Let's go end this," he said.
Shikamaru looked towards the hill the village sat next to, watching grimly as figure after figure appeared atop it, silently staring down at them.
They had known that Akatsuki was growing in numbers but none of them had imagined by this much. Shikamaru had some of the best ninjas Konoha had to offer standing with him, but being outnumbered at what he estimated was fifteen to one was not encouraging odds.
Konoha ninjas were gathered at the bottom of the hill looking up at the vast amount of shinobi above them. Some of Shikamaru's men had been sent to warn the villagers, leading them away from where the battle would take place.
Jiraiya suddenly appeared next to Shikamaru giving the younger man a nod. Looking further to his left he could see several other shinobi, including Kakashi and Gai, as well as Lee, Sakura, and Ino. Chouji, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata stood in various positions on his right.
With a small smile Shikamaru began to feel more confident. These were excellent ninjas and he would trust his life to any of them. He could think of no better honor than to fight by their sides.
With a puff of smoke Sasuke and Naruto appeared in front of him, Tenten, Neji, and two other Anbu behind them. They nodded in greeting at Shikamaru, before turning to survey the enemy.
"You know, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I think I liked Akatsuki better when Itachi was in charge. They were less destructive, more goal oriented, and most importantly, much smaller."
The Konoha shinobi hadn't been speaking, but at the masked man's words a tense silence overtook them.
Everyone, even those who had never met Sasuke, knew of Itachi and the destructive means Sasuke had gone to for revenge.
They awaited Sasuke's response in anxiety, wondering if perhaps this masked shinobi would be the first to fall today.
The white fox mask slowly turned to the blue eyed man, who looked steadily at the wooden face.
"I'm going to beat the shit out of you when this is over," the voice from behind the mask said.
The blue eyes twinkled. "Promise?"
"Yes."
Several shinobi breathed sighs of relief, others shivered at the thought of Uchiha Sasuke's wrath.
Only a select few-Jiraiya and Shikamaru, who knew their history; Kakashi and Gai, who understood friendly rivalry; and, of course, Naruto and Sasuke saw the meaning behind the words.
'We're both going to survive this.'
'Promise?'
'Yes.'
There was a shift at the top of the hill and Orochimaru in Kabuto's body rode into view, standing comfortably on the head of a giant snake.
"The flashy snake entrance isn't quite as intimidating after you've seen it so many times," Naruto said quietly, rolling of his eyes. Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"Konoha ninja's," Shikamaru said loudly so that all of those under his command could hear him. "Our mission is to protect this village and stop Akatsuki, no matter what the cost. What we do today protects Konoha. If we fail, this army is headed towards our village. Protect Konoha!"
There was a loud cry of agreement from the shinobi behind him.
Orochimaru laughed, folding his arms across his chest. With a simple nod to his subordinates the shinobi at the top of the hill began to charge.
Arming themselves with kunai, shuriken, and other weapons, the ninja of Konoha prepared for battle.
Sasuke and the four Anbu behind him pulled their katana from their backs. Naruto noticed that Neji and Tenten had weapons that differed from their comrades. Neji held a long dagger in his hand while Tenten had two katana that were shorter than the others'. Spinning them once to get a solid grip on them, she made her way quickly to the right flank, followed by Neji. The other two Anbu moved to the left, leaving Sasuke and Naruto in the middle.
Naruto had never seen Sasuke wield a katana, but he was not surprised at the fluidity and grace of his movements as the first of the enemy reached them and were instantly struck down.
Sasuke stabbed one Akatsuki member and, wrenching the katana from the man's abdomen, he spun to strike at another. Naruto didn't have time to admire Sasuke's skills for long, however, for the sheer numbers the Akatsuki possessed had descended upon him and his attention had to be focused on his own battles.
Fortunately, Naruto noticed as he ducked a punch aimed for his jaw, the prestige that members of the Akatsuki formerly possessed did not seem to apply to them anymore. These ninjas were not S-class nin. Many of them weren't even jounin. It appeared that Orochimaru was going for strength in numbers.
With a swift blow to the head with the blunt end of his kunai, the shinobi attacking Naruto fell face first into the grass. Naruto sensed rather than saw the kick coming from behind him and, turning quickly, he grabbed the attacker's ankle. With a sharp downward thrust of his elbow he broke the other man's leg at its joint. Naruto let him go and he toppled over, clutching desperately at his knee, his cries joining in with the yells and screams of others on the hill that had turned into a battlefield.
Leaping into the air Naruto dodged two kunai that had been thrown at him and they imbedded into the ground with soft thunks.
A fist came at him from nowhere and he blocked it, punching his assailant in the stomach.
Shinobi began charging him in pairs.
This was ridiculous. Every time one was struck down three more would take his place. Chancing a glance around he saw that Konoha's already small force was rapidly declining.
Sakura had given up fighting and was now tending to the injured of their side, as were several other medical nins.
The Anbu were fairing well, their swords allowed them to kill many enemies with ease and close range fighting was their specialty. Neji could maneuver easily with his dagger, getting in close to his enemies and cutting off their chakra flow with his free hand or limbs with his dagger. Naruto grimaced as he saw a man on his knees in front of Tenten, remaining absolutely still. Her twin blades were crossed in front of his neck. Pulling her arms apart quickly, the man's neck was sliced open, blood splattering across her white mask.
A flash of pink caught Naruto's eye and he watched Sakura run to Kiba, who had just killed several sword wielding Akatsuki members, but had sustained a deep wound in his leg for his trouble.
Naruto looked to Sasuke and grimly noticed that even he appeared to be struggling with the never ending onslaught of enemies. No matter how many were killed more continued coming.
They needed more fighters. At this rate they couldn't possibly win.
He tossed a kunai into the heart of an advancing attacker before gritting his teeth. This was most likely going to blow his cover. Between Kakashi's Sharingan, the Hyuuga's Byakugan, Kiba's nose, and Sakura's intelligence, he had no doubt someone, if not everyone, would figure him out.
But what was the point of protecting them from himself only to let them die in battle?
Raising his hands he crossed two fingers of his right hand vertically over two of his left. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
He could hear the pause in the fighting as ally and enemy alike looked around in amazement at the hundreds of masked figures that had appeared in the fray.
Using the confusion to his advantage the Narutos began to attack. The Konoha ninjas recovered from their surprise and resumed fighting with renewed vigor.
Several shinobi had to struggle to get their heads back into the battle however, for they now knew the identity of the masked man.