A/N: A few things. I'm sure Itachi's actions in chapter 10 will now make sense after reading this chapter. Also, I screwed with the ages of everyone, but a few things are still the same. Kakashi, Iruka, Tsunade, and anyone else mentioned has the same age difference in relation to Naruto that they do in canon, just as Itachi has the same age difference in relation to Sasuke. The only messed up age difference is Naruto's in relation to Sasuke.

Regarding Sasuke's reaction to things Naruto said in the hospital in this chapter...I kindly refer you to chapter 8 and the things Sasuke said to Itachi while Itachi was cooking, as well as Sasuke's feelings regarding his brother in the opening paragraphs of that chapter.

Coming up on the end of this fic soon, I suppose...

18. Total Recall

Dead, the man fell away as Naruto tore his hand free of his guts. The chakra the man had called up in the final nanoseconds of his life died away. Naruto caught Sasuke as the man fell, saw the condition he was in at last and let out an agonized roar. Nearly blinded with tears of fear, fighting against a crippling anxiety attack, Naruto took precisely one second to access Sage mode. He then turned and leapt through the tunnel and the opening in the barricade.

-oOo-

The women at the reception desk of Konoha Hospital were enjoying a slow evening. They shrieked and dropped below the long desk for cover; the sliding glass doors at the entrance had just imploded with devastating force as some wild-eyed blond man crashed through them. But then they heard the deafening bellows for Tsunade, and the bravest of the three women peeped over the edge of the desk to see what was going on.

"Tsunade!" Naruto screamed again. Why was the fucking lobby deserted? Was there no one in this place who worked? "TSUNADE!"

"S-sir?"

Naruto whirled around. A woman was cowering behind the receptionist's desk but looking at him. "I need Tsunade immediately. Where is she? WHERE?" He sensed other women behind that desk, none of whom were offering an answer.

In a show of unbelievable incompetence, the woman's face crumpled at Naruto's shout. He was in the process of striding over to kick the desk onto all three women's heads when running feet sounded from one of the halls leading away from the lobby. He turned, and found Kakashi and Iruka speeding toward him. "Tsunade," he said urgently when they reached him. "I need her now, she wasn't at her office and these women are useless-"

Kakashi saw the bloody condition of Sasuke, the large shard of glass protruding from Naruto's shoulder, and the shattered doors of the hospital's entrance. He turned to address the receptionists, but Iruka had already summoned medics from the emergency room. He was even now leading a running team of them. The medics were wheeling a gurney between them. Sasuke was taken quickly and placed on it. Two of the medics hastily laid glowing hands of chakra over Sasuke's vital organs right then and there. A preliminary assessment was made.

"Serious blood loss," one said.

"Vitals in reasonably good condition, no major arteries damaged-"

"Bp's low-"

"Some chakra drain here-"

Naruto stood by, anxiously turning his head back and forth as each one spoke. "Will he live?"

Both medics were silent a moment, moving their hands over Sasuke. "He's in serious condition, but nothing life-threatening," one finally reported. "He needs immediate attention, though." They began wheeling Sasuke away, calling to one of the nurses who'd appeared to prepare an operating room, stat.

Naruto tried to follow, but the third medic who'd come with the other two stopped him. "I'm afraid I need some details from you as to what happened to-"

Naruto took one look at the hand the medic had on his arm.

The medic went soaring through the air to slam into the wall behind the receptionists' desk. He landed behind the desk itself, which had those three women screaming again. Security Chuunin seemed to materialize out of nowhere, stances set to restrain. They surrounded Naruto in a surprisingly short time, calling for him to leave the premises immediately. Naruto marched toward them, obviously intending to engage them, but Iruka and Kakashi hurriedly stepped in front of him and placed their hands and arms up in a protective/preventive gesture.

"He's with me," Kakashi said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to pull rank and ask you all to stand down."

"Naruto, please." Iruka spoke in a calm and even tone of voice, while Kakashi dealt with the Chuunin. "Please, just come with me and Kakashi. We can wait outside the room Sasuke's in-"

"He needs Tsunade," Naruto's head swung in Iruka's direction. So much light and noise and confusion while Sasuke lay bleeding. "Tsunade. He needs Tsunade, where is she?"

"Tsunade is ill, Naruto. She's been in a deep coma since the night she went to see you," Kakashi answered. The Chuunin were gone.

"Sakura, then." A crowd was starting to gather in the lobby now. The medic he'd thrown was being surrounded by nurses and other medics. People were pointing at him, staring, whispering-

"What happned?" "Is he dead?" Oh my God, he's dead!" "Who did it?" "That man over there, the big bloody one."

-as they talked about him. His shoulders were slowly tightening. Naruto knew he was going to end up doing something else, he just knew it.

"Sakura's away from the village. She hasn't lived here for a long time, Naruto." Iruka kept his eyes steady, and was careful to make no sudden movements.

"Who's the best physician after Tsunade and Sakura, then? Get me someone besides those two medics!" Naruto roared. "Sasuke needs the best care available, do you understand? The best-"

"Ino," Kakashi interjected. "Yamanaka Ino."

A dim memory of long blonde hair flashed in Naruto's mind. "Get her."

Kakashi disappeared. Naruto glared around at all the staring faces, before looking down at Iruka. "I need to be with Sasuke."

-oOo-

It was Iruka who snagged a nurse and had her find out where Sasuke had been taken. He was the one who led Naruto to the operating room, the one who stood with him in the viewing deck and watched with him as a woman wearing hospital scrubs strode in and identified herself as Yamanaka Ino. She received an oral report on Sasuke's condition and immediately took over.

Iruka watched Naruto discreetly. He did not attempt conversation; Naruto's trembling, his clenched jaw, and his erratic breathing as he fought against hyperventilation, were all signs of an ongoing anxiety attack. He could see that his former student was holding on by a thin thread. He thought it wise to hold off any conversation until Sasuke's final condition was known. Hopefully, Naruto would be in a slightly calmer state of mind at that time.

Kakashi found them shortly afterward. Iruka shook his head at the questioning look Kakashi gave him, signaling that Naruto was in no condition to be interrogated just now. All three of them stood and watched. And waited.

Later, Naruto stood by while Sasuke was wheeled into a private room. Ino came in behind the medics pushing the bed with her surgical mask pulled down. She pulled off her surgical cap as well to reveal that her hair was still long, and secured in a bun. Naruto went to her immediately. "How is he?" he asked.

Ino seemed not to mind the tall man towering over her as she consulted a clipboard she took from the base of Sasuke's hospital bed. Perhaps she'd dealt with many nervous relatives. She answered without looking up. "He's in good shape, all things considered. Needed close to four hundred stitches here and there. The worst injury was the left arm and side, but no undue damage was sustained to muscle tissue. The wound removed a few layers of skin, nothing more. There could be some scarring from that, but he should regain full use of his arm in time. Same for the right arm. Clean fracture of the radius there. Cast will have to be on for several weeks. He's sedated now, but should wake up in an hour or so." She looked up kindly. "I'm told you requested me personally. Are you the boy's father? I have a question about some symbols I found on his back-"

Naruto turned away, going to sink into the chair near Sasuke's bed. He dropped his face in his hands.

Kakashi came over and spoke quietly to Ino. "That's Naruto, Ino. Sasuke's a…close friend of his."

Ino blinked. Then her eyes went very wide. "Naruto?" she hissed in an awed whisper. She craned her neck to see around Kakashi's shoulder. "Not Uzumaki Naruto, this city's hero and my former Academy classmate?"

Kakashi nodded. "One and the same."

"Is his presence related to the disturbance in town? I heard reports that someone wearing an Akatsuki cloak was sighted. Is he here to take over for Tsunade-sama? Where's he been all these years? Oh my God, wait till I tell everyone-"

Kakashi grabbed her arm. "No one must be told anything," he admonished quietly. "I don't know what he's doing here other than bringing Sasuke in for medical assistance…and as you know, I've been here in the hospital for over a week now. What disturbance are you talking about? I heard the siren earlier, but it was shut off quickly."

Ino didn't have any more information than what she'd already stated. She assured Kakashi that she would keep Naruto's presence to herself, before she left the room. She cast a last glance in Naruto's direction as she did so, and her look was one of gladness and loyalty.

-oOo-

Long minutes stretched into half an hour, then an hour, as Naruto got up and leaned against the wall on the far side of the bed. He gazed at Sasuke's face. There was a bandage covering one cheek where the boy had been gashed. Iruka, seeing that Naruto was calmer, thought it was all right to ask a few questions.

"Naruto?"

No outward response.

"Naruto, if you could tell us anything about this attack…Kakashi heard Ino say something about Akatsuki being sighted in the village-"

"It was Akatsuki," Naruto confirmed in a low voice. "The man who attacked Sasuke is dead, just beyond the barricade on my property. Someone needs to notify Sasuke's brother, locate him, bring him here. And then I want to know if anymore of Akatsuki are in the village. Have Tsunade get on this immediately."

"Tsunade is in a coma, Naruto. Kakashi told you that when you arrived, remember?" Iruka's voice was concerned.

Naruto turned around to frown at them. "Oh. Right. But then…who's running the village?"

"Well, officially the council is running things," Kakashi said. "But generally, all important matters are being tabled for the time being while a replacement for the Hokage is ostensibly being considered."

Neither of them indicated who this replacement should be, for which Naruto was extremely grateful. "But Akatsuki is in the village," Naruto said. "Someone needs to tend to that. How long before she's well again? Why isn't Ino seeing to the Hokage herself if Sakura isn't here?"

Kakashi fielded that question. "Tsunade-sama's assistant won't let anyone near her. He tends to her himself, and insists that her condition is too critical for anyone but his own expert ministrations. Admittedly, he is more skilled than Ino or Sakura."

Naruto snorted. No one had been more skilled than Sakura. He looked back and forth between them. "Why aren't you two with her?"

"We were," Iruka said. "We've been outside her room day and night. Then we felt your chakra and came to investigate. Now that you're here, I'm afraid we belong at your side, not hers."

"What?" Naruto blinked.

"Iruka and I have been groomed for your service exclusively since your self-imposed exile on the mountain," Kakashi explained. "Yours, no one else's. We were simply biding our time. Tsunade-sama has always maintained that we were tools to be used at the Sixth Hokage's discretion, and should anything happen to her, that we were to go to you immediately. We, Iruka and I, hereby formally put ourselves at your disposal, Naruto." Kakashi bowed low. "We are at your service."

To say that Naruto was nonplussed was an understatement. He recalled Tsunade saying on that fateful night that Kakashi was to be his advisor, and Iruka his psychiatrist or something, but that was conditional on his filling the Hokage's shoes. He said as much now.

"As far as we are concerned, you are the Sixth Hokage, whether it has been made formal or not," Iruka said. "We follow no orders but your own."

Naruto groped for the chair behind him and sat down. "I can't…I'm not Hokage. I'm not responsible for anyone but myself and Sasuke."

"All right," Iruka bowed slightly in acknowledgement. "What you do is your business, of course. We're here to serve you, nothing more. Okay?"

"Okay." Naruto nodded. Some of the panic that had come at hearing he was considered Hokage began to recede "Okay. Well…is someone finding Sasuke's brother?"

"No one knows of him but the people in this room and Moegi, who is still on a mission," Kakashi supplied.

"Find him," Naruto said. He gave Sasuke's address. "Then find out if there are more Akatsuki in the village. Find out where that bastard entered from, how he got in, where he attacked Sasuke, and have his body taken to ANBU."

"At once." Kakashi bowed again and left.

Naruto watched the door swing shut, thinking how odd it was to have his former sensei obey him like that. Then he found Iruka looking at him. "I'm not the Hokage," he reiterated.

Iruka said nothing.

Kakashi came back roughly an hour later and made his report.

"ANBU is aware of the infiltration, but there are no others. I guess that's why the alarm was shut off. I dispatched a unit to the mountain. They retrieved the body, and it is even now being investigated. The man has been identified as one Hoshigake Kisame. Apparently, he took out six Jounin and eleven Chuunin during his chase of Sasuke. How he entered the village is still being determined.

"As for the address you gave me, the building is singed a bit from Sasuke's attack, but no one inside was hurt, and no serious damage was done. I'm told from bystanders I questioned that Kisame countered with a water jutsu, which likely saved the inhabitants of the building. Regardless, Itachi wasn't there. The super for the building said Itachi paid the rent in full over a week ago and told him he was moving out. He said he'd had no prospective applicants for the apartment, so held off on having the furniture removed or the locks changed. I checked with Itachi's place of employment. Foreman at the steel plant said Itachi turned in his resignation same day he paid the last of the rent. Hasn't seen him since. No one's seen or heard from Itachi in ten days, Naruto, not since we all saw him the night we came to the mountain."

"That's because Akatsuki has him."

All three men turned at hearing Sasuke's faint voice. His eyes were open and he was looking at them. "Sasuke." Naruto quickly went to his side.

"It's how they knew where I lived," Sasuke went on. "That Kisame guy was waiting for me when I got there. I didn't sense him, though, and I fought back-"

"Shhh," Naruto's hands hovered over Sasuke, unsure of whether or not to touch him. There were so many bandages… "It's over. You're safe now."

"You came." Sasuke put his head back on the pillow and gazed up worshipfully at Naruto. "I was sure I was going to die, but you came for me."

"Of course I came. I'll never let anything happen to you, not as long as I live."

"You killed him?"

"Most emphatically."

"How did you get to me in time? How did you know? Where were you?"

Naruto knelt by the bed and gently took Sasuke's hand in his. "I was far off in the forest. I happened to sense you. I think the only reason I did was because I was beginning to meditate. Sometimes things come to me when I'm shut down. It was faint, but I felt you on the mountain. I was so glad you were back early that I used the quickest means available to me to put myself at your side. Do you remember the first night after training? The seal I put on your back?"

Sasuke nodded. "You said it would allow you to come to me wherever I am."

"Yes. It was a seal my father used. A man named Jiraiya taught it to me. I used it tonight to come when I sensed you, thinking you'd changed your mind. But when I arrived… I saw what was going on, that I was just in time to stop someone from carting you off."

Hiraishin no Jutsu, Kakashi thought, but didn't say. He remembered well when his old sensei used to use it.

Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand, who in turn touched Sasuke's face with his other hand in a gentle caress. The black hair was smoothed away from Sasuke's brow and a kiss was placed on his forehead. Naruto lingered in that position, hovering near Sasuke's up-turned face and whispering again how he'd keep him safe.

Iruka watched all of this with great attention and interest. He added this behavior to the mental profile he had of Naruto.

Kakashi also watched this scene keenly, but went on to say, "How do you know Akatsuki has your brother, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's feeling of relief at having Naruto by his side took a back seat at this reminder. He turned to Kakashi. "Because my brother left me a message. In my room."

Kakashi thought of the condition he'd found the apartment in. "I saw a bedroom with furniture, and one without."

"The one without is mine. It had furniture in it the night I left."

"What was the message?" Kakashi asked.

"That was the message," Sasuke cried. "The room being empty means he knew Akatsuki was coming and wanted to give the impression he lived alone. And if I saw the room I would obviously know that he'd known they were coming and to make myself scarce!"

"Calm down," Naruto urged. To Kakashi he said, "Enough. Sasuke needs to rest-"

"I need to go after my brother," Sasuke interrupted. "He's counting on me."

"Nonsense," Naruto said. "You don't know if your brother's been captured. He gave his resignation at his job, and the rent to the super. He was obviously planning to leave. It's as I told you, Sasuke. Your brother disowned you and now he's left Konoha."

Sasuke blinked up at Naruto a few times, then he shook his head. "No. No. I know what I saw, and I know what I feel. Itachi's been caught. How else do you explain Akatsuki knowing where I live?"

"Your brother being caught would mean Akatsuki knew where you lived ten days ago," Naruto gently pointed out. "If they had Itachi all this time, and got your whereabouts from him, they would have come directly to the mountain. Itachi knew where you were. I'm telling you, Itachi has permanently left the city. I have no doubt that it was this that allowed Akatsuki to find you. Without his protection, they were able to locate you quickly. Trust me, though, when I say that anyone else they send will meet the same end as Kisame. I won't let you meet the same fate as your brother."

Sasuke was silent, thinking. What Naruto said made sense, but…it didn't feel right. "My brother's still alive," he insisted stubbornly. "I have to find him. When can I leave here?" He looked up at Naruto, then at the other two faces.

"You're going to stay here until you're completely healed," Naruto said firmly. "After, you'll come back to the mountain permanently." His tone brooked no argument.

Frowning at Naruto's words, Iruka cleared his throat. "Why don't I locate Ino and ask her how long Sasuke is to remain here?"

"Good idea," Naruto and Sasuke chorused.

Iruka nodded. "Kakashi, will you accompany me, please?"

-oOo-

When both Jounin were out in the hall, Iruka took Kakashi aside. "What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto. There's a lot going on here involving that boy."

"You heard him as well as I did on the mountain that night. He loves Sasuke."

"I know. But how he acts toward the boy…" Iruka shook his head. "I don't know. And the way Sasuke reacts around him worries me too."

Kakashi thought a moment. "I can't say I understand…psychology is your area of expertise not mine, but what are you thinking?"

"I don't know. I need a session with Naruto immediately, but Sasuke also needs someone, I'm thinking. I think he's in strong need of counseling, but none of this is why I called you out here. I think the boy has a point."

"About his brother being held captive?"

"Yes. Something just doesn't add up. If Itachi is dead, like Naruto suggests, then why is his body not here? If they wanted to just kill him, they would have done it and left his body in his apartment, right? They had to have known about Sasuke, and they had to have known they'd get his whereabouts from Itachi, hence his abduction."

"Possible."

"But Naruto isn't willing to entertain that idea. He has an extreme aversion to people bordering on acute anthropophobia. This aversion is absent in regards to Sasuke. From what I just witnessed, Naruto has an unhealthy attachment to that boy."

"Obsession?"

"Worse, possibly. I'd say psychotic."

"And this is relevant…how?"

Iruka frowned. "I don't know. But I don't think he'll be letting Sasuke look for his brother. I sensed jealousy of the brother's role in Sasuke's life, and no small amount of possessiveness on Naruto's part."

Kakashi stared at Iruka while he thought. He tapped one finger against his chin. "Suggestions?"

"We're here to serve Naruto, but we're also supposed to guide him, Kakashi. You're his advisor whether he accepts you or not. What do you suggest?"

"Hmm. Good question. How stable would you say he is?"

"Not remotely. You saw the scene in the lobby."

"Ah. Well, then let's think. The council is being difficult, as usual. They'll stall finding a replacement for as long as possible in order to keep running things themselves. Tsunade's assistant won't let us near her. We need Naruto to step in, yet he's dead set against it. Do you think we could maybe talk him into taking the reigns somehow? Only someone in authority can authorize a search for Itachi."

Iruka dipped his head in thought. "Talk him into it…no. But push him…maybe. If we pushed the right buttons.

Their eyes met and they said what was on both their minds in unison. "Sasuke."

"But I don't want to lie to Naruto," Iruka hastened to explain. "Or manipulate him, or do anything that will compromise the trust I need him to have in me. We just need to present the situation to him in such a way-"

"That he does what needs to be done," Kakashi finished. "Got it. I think we should bring Ino in on this. Maybe she can get us some time alone with Naruto."

A quick plan was outlined.

Naruto looked up as Ino, Kakashi, and Iruka came back into the room. Ino went directly to Sasuke and began checking him over. "Well," Ino said as she passed one chakra-covered hand over Sasuke's bandages. "You seem very alert. Truthfully, you probably don't need to stay here longer than 48 hours. You'll be under observation-"

"I can't stay here that long," Sasuke said forcefully. "Is there any way I could be discharged early?"

Ino bent to inspect Sasuke's eyes. "Hm. How much pain are you in?"

"Some," Sasuke admitted. "Okay, kind of a lot, but it's just pain. It doesn't mean I can't be let go, right?"

Glancing behind her to where Kakashi and Iruka stood, she saw their nod and straightened up. "Tell you what, Sasuke. Why don't you let me run a few tests and I'll see if we can't discharge you tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Sasuke lay back in relief. "That sounds good."

Ino stepped into the hall long enough to summon two nurses. They came and brought with them a wheelchair. Naruto rushed to lift Sasuke into it, then moved behind it to begin pushing him. Ino held up a hand. "The nurses have it from here, Naruto."

"Sasuke doesn't leave my sight," Naruto said tightly.

Ino stood her ground. "I'm afraid no one can come with him-"

Naruto walked right up to her and glared down directly into her face. "If you think for one second that I'm leaving him alone after what happened tonight-"

"That's exactly what you'll do if you want him to get the care he needs," Ino said evenly. She wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "We can't do our jobs with you hovering over us. Now unless you want to drag this out for longer than necessary, you'll let me get these tests started."

Naruto lifted his hand to strike her, and Ino's eyes sharpened. Sasuke twisted in the wheelchair and said, "Don't. Naruto, she's just trying to help me."

"Akatsuki could be anywhere in this hospital," Naruto hissed. "Anywhere in the city. You're not leaving my presence, Sasuke."

Kakashi stepped forward sheepishly. "Ah…I neglected to say that ANBU is stationed throughout the city, with four units assigned to the hospital itself. We're good."

Ino nodded at the nurses while Naruto was busy listening to Kakashi. They quickly wheeled Sasuke away. When Naruto tried to follow them, Sasuke stopped him again. "I'll be back soon, I promise," he called.

The door shut behind them. Naruto immediately began pacing.

-oOo

Having succeeded in finally getting Naruto alone, Iruka pulled the two chairs in the room together and sat in one. "Naruto? Would you mind sitting for a bit and talking to me?"

"Yes, I mind."

Undeterred, Iruka went on. "Very well, we can speak while you pace."

"I know what you're trying to do. Don't," Naruto growled.

"What am I trying to do?

"Shrink me. You can save your breath, I have nothing to say."

Iruka studied the restrained violence of Naruto's pacing for a moment. "I was only going to say that Sasuke will likely leave to search for his brother whether you like it or not."

"No he won't. I'll take him home and keep him safe until this whole mess blows over."

"Sasuke won't agree to that." Iruka was reasonably certain that this was true, given Sasuke's adamant insistence that his brother needed help.

"I don't care what he wants, I care that he's safe," Naruto replied shortly.

"If you're in a relationship with him, then his wants need to be taken into consideration," Iruka said. "If not-"

Naruto stopped pacing long enough to pin Iruka with a glare. "He's a child. He nearly got himself killed. The only thing he has left now is me, and I will make sure that he stays out of harm's way."

"If he's too young to be allowed an opinion, then he's too young to be in a relationship with you. However, this is family, Naruto. Sasuke likely has a very strong bond with his brother, and to deny him the chance to look for that brother will make Sasuke resentful. He won't allow it, Naruto. It's never wise to try and come between family members."

Naruto had a flashback to Sasuke saying he hated him. He stopped, hesitated, then reluctantly sat in the other chair. "I know he's too young to be with me," he said heavily. He stared down at where his hands were still trembling from the scare he'd had tonight. "I tried to let him go, but I can't. And he doesn't want to leave. He's all I have, Iruka, more than I ever thought I'd have. He's mine. I won't let him go. I won't."

Iruka understood many things just then. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I can understand and appreciate how you feel, Naruto. But refusing to let the boy search for his brother simply because you're jealous is not love. Sasuke has very little in this world. He has you, and he has Itachi. And if he thinks you're willing to come between him and his brother, he'll turn on you."

"I know. He has already."

"Then you understand that Itachi must be located."

After a minute, Naruto nodded. "He's probably dead, but Sasuke needs to see that for himself, I suppose. Tsunade can send a unit when she wakes-"

"There's no telling when she'll wake, Naruto. This matter is one of urgency."

"Why?" Naruto countered. "As long as Akatsuki isn't in the village, discovering Itachi's corpse isn't a time-sensitive issue."

Recognizing the attempt to stall Sasuke's reunion with his brother, Iruka said, "On the off-chance that he isn't dead, someone should look for him now."

"Fine. Send someone."

"I don't have that authority. Only the Hokage can authorize ANBU."

"What about the council," Naruto asked. He looked over at Kakashi before staring at Iruka again. "They can authorize it, can't they? A search for Itachi?"

"They'll want details, history, all sorts of information that will effectively take weeks to gather. And before you say that's acceptable," Iruka hastened to add when Naruto shrugged, "let me just say that Sasuke will be long gone on his own rescue mission by then. It would be better if he had some help."

"I told you, Sasuke won't be going anywhere unless I allow it."

"And I told you that thwarting Sasuke on this will have catastrophic results."

Naruto glared, and Iruka held the stare with a calm one of his own.

Kakashi decided to add his little bit. "Akatsuki knows where Sasuke is now. They'll get to the mountain eventually and throw everything they have at it, and at you, in an effort to snuff that kid's life out. I can't be sure they know you're the Vessel, but once they find out..."

"Let them come," Naruto hissed.

Iruka sighed. "I know you're strong, Naruto, but Akatsuki will cut a path through this village in their attempt to get to Sasuke. That's what Kakashi meant. It's not just about keeping the boy safe, it's about avoiding all out war. Pain hurt this village so deeply that it took years to recover. He was one man. If Madara and the rest of those with him decide to make a concerted effort to retrieve Sasuke…Well, I think it's safe to say that what happened to the Uchiha clan would happen to all of us."

Naruto frowned at him. At both of them. He said nothing. After awhile, he got up to pace again, and Iruka exchanged a glance with Kakashi. The older man gave a small nod.

Later, Naruto stopped at the window and looked out at the night. The sirens he'd heard on the way over here were silent now. Threat neutralized. He was sure some sort of public announcement was being played on television screens in people's homes, some generic bullshit about how the danger was passed. He didn't particularly care. He had no love for the villagers. The idea of them all being slaughtered gave him pause only because of what Sasuke would think. If Sasuke thought Naruto could prevent such a thing, he might look at Naruto differently if the disaster wasn't averted. This thought led to others. Memories.

"Did you look for me?" Naruto whispered to the window. "Either of you?"

Kakashi lifted a brow, but Iruka understood. "Yes. We both did. When you went missing, we practically took up residence at the council building, demanding to know why a search party wasn't being mounted. We weren't alone, either. All your friends were with us, their parents, other teachers from The Academy. I think the most vocal one of us was Sakura. She destroyed some property in the council building, threatened a few of their members. She was of the belief that Danzo had something to do with your disappearance long before proof of that came to light. She infiltrated his house one night and tried to interrogate him, I'm told. Sakura's parents were found dead not a week later. She left the village barely ahead of an attempt on her own life. Of course there was never any proof of Danzo's involvement in either event. Sakura was never seen again. There was one letter received by Ino, stating that she was fine, but that she didn't want to be found. Said she no longer believed in her village, and that if Naruto wasn't there, she had no reason to stay. She's been declared a missing-nin, and there's a price on her head. No one knows where she is."

Naruto felt his stomach do an odd flip-flop. He hadn't thought of Sakura in God knew how long, but he remembered her. It was one of the few sharp memories he had left. Her smile. Her temper. He could well imagine her fury on his behalf, and felt a sudden up swell of emotion in his breast. This, when he'd gone so without feeling anything. The only feelings he'd experienced of late were those that he had for Sasuke. This nostalgia and gratitude he felt at hearing of how Sakura had fought for him had his atrophied emotions giving off sweet pain; he blinked slowly at the wetness in his eyes, still staring down at the street below.

"I believe it was one of your team mates who actually went out and found Jiraiya," Iruka resumed quietly. "Kiba. He and Akamaru searched far and wide for the only person known to be your relative. It took him months, but he finally came back with him, and Jiraiya let it be thought that he was visiting the village by chance. He pretended that tales of your heroic deeds were what sparked an interest in wanting to see you. After, when he too was refused by the council and Danzo, he mounted an investigation. He knew that the only way to override Danzo was to have a real Hokage in office. He found Tsunade, who came and eventually found you. I believe you know the rest of the story, but yes. I looked for you. Kakashi looked. All of your friends looked. No one forgot you, Naruto."

His face was overly warm and his tears were scorching, but Naruto didn't turn around.

Kakashi spoke up. "This situation is sort of similar, when you think about it. The only way to get what needs to be done done, is to have a real Hokage in office. And between you and me, Naruto, I don't think Tsunade-sama is going to come out of that coma. If her assistant can't heal her, then it's very unlikely that anyone else can. Without leadership, this city will fall. If not to Akatsuki, then to someone else."

No more was said until Sasuke came in.

Ino wore a bright smile as a male nurse wheeled Sasuke in and lifted him onto the bed. When the door closed behind him, Ino addressed all four males in the room. "I think he can leave in 24 hours," she said without preamble. "He needs to rest and receive care for at least that long. He's a sturdy, resilient young man, so I anticipate a full recovery soon."

Sasuke chewed his lip, chafing at this delay. Naruto said nothing.

When Ino left, Sasuke turned immediately to Naruto. "As soon as I'm out we have to go find him. We have to. Okay?"

Naruto sighed. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. But Kakashi and Iruka have been telling me that unless there's a Hokage in office, such a mission will be impossible. I know you love your brother, and I know you need news of him, but we're simply going to have to wait until Tsunade recovers. When she does, you can set about retrieving Itachi's remains. All right? Now, I really think you should-"

Sasuke calmly turned his head, scanning the room. His eyes landed on the small table near his bed and the tiny ceramic vase sitting on it. It contained a spray of artificial floral grass. He took the vase in his good hand, turned it over curiously, then smashed it with all the force he could muster on Naruto's head.

Naruto had been in the process of tucking the blanket around Sasuke's knees; he caught the full brunt of Sasuke's blow. The vase shattered, leaving little fragments in his hair as he straightened up with a roar of surprise. He stared at Sasuke's red eyes in shock. Kakashi and Iruka looked on silently and alertly.

"Sasuke-" Naruto cried.

Sasuke was livid. "I'm not fighting you on this, Naruto. I'm going. But if you try and stop me, I'll…I'll never forgive you. I'll never speak to you again, never see you or visit you. And this time I mean what I'm saying. Get out."

Naruto's brows lowered dangerously. "You're not going any-"

"Get out, get out, GET OUT!" Sasuke looked for something else to throw.

Naruto stared. Little pieces of ceramic tinkled to the floor from his hair as he looked at Kakashi and Iruka. They met his stricken stare with bland ones of their own. Naruto looked back at Sasuke, ready to try and reason with him once more. "Sasuke, I-"

Sasuke turned his head away angrily, refusing to listen.

Naruto spoke anyway. "I can't just let you walk into danger. I'm responsible for you, and I swore to keep you safe. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. Tsunade will send a search party when she recovers, I'll make sure of it. You have my word. But if you try to go I'll stop you, whether you forgive me or not. Your safety comes first."

Sasuke looked at him and knew pure, undiluted hatred. It wasn't the petty hatred he'd voiced in the training room, either. This hatred was real, with fangs and claws, born of the deep love he had for Naruto. That love was being used against him. Naruto was betraying him, betraying his love for him, by trying to keep him from going to Itachi. And he could see that it was nothing but rank jealousy on Naruto's part. Itachi was his brother. "You're hoping he dies," he whispered in awe. "You don't care if I have to wait to find him because the longer I wait the slimmer his chances are of being found alive. You think that once he's dead, I'll stay with you and that's that!"

Naruto blinked guiltily. "Of course not!"

The tears Sasuke released were of bitter frustration and hurt. "How can you do this to me? How can you not let me go to him? How can you think I'd forgive you for this?"

"No," Naruto rushed to his side, but Sasuke shoved him away weakly. "That's not it, I wouldn't do that. But I can't lose you, Sasuke. You nearly died tonight. Akatsuki will stop at nothing to get you and I won't let that happen. Can't you understand?"

Sasuke looked him in the eye. "I understand that if you don't let me go, I'll hate you for the rest of my life. And if my brother dies because you stopped me, I'll kill you. I mean that," he said with a small catch in his voice. "I'll fucking kill you."

Naruto stared at the unblinking promise in Sasuke's eyes and felt as if his heart had just been shredded in his chest. He bore down vehemently on the tears that sprang up at Sasuke's threat. Nevermind that Sasuke would never be able to kill him, he could not live with the boy's hatred. And it seemed his own fear for Sasuke's safety had come across as callous tyranny. Didn't Sasuke understand what he meant to him? That he'd die without him? That he was terrified of him going within a thousand leagues of Akatsuki? No. All Sasuke understood was that Naruto was trying to stop him from seeing his brother. "Do you mean that Sasuke? Or is this anger and pain talking? Because if you're serious, and you feel such hatred for me that you could threaten my life…after everything we've shared…"

"I mean it. If you stop me from going to him and he dies-"

"Fine," Naruto breathed. He stood up. Willful little brat. Willful and selfish. "If that's the way it is, then so be it. I won't stop you from looking for him. There. Are you satisfied?"

Sasuke cared not one bit for Naruto's obvious fury. He was too upset himself. He looked down at his lap and nodded.

"Good." Naruto went to the chair in the corner and dragged it to the wall opposite the foot of Sasuke's bed. He plunked himself down in it, folded his arms, and proceeded to wait until the 24 hours were up.

After a shared glance of discomfort, Kakashi and Iruka approached Naruto. "You still won't be able to undertake such a mission without the Hokage's approval," Kakashi said delicately.

"We'll go without the approval then," Naruto answered shortly.

"The council will try and stop you," Iruka pointed out.

Feeling the frayed leash he had on his control lose another thread, Naruto grit his teeth hard for a second. "I wish to God they'd try."

Iruka could all but taste Naruto's anger, but at the same time he empathized with Sasuke's side of things. Frowning helplessly at the bowed blond head, he clasped his hands in front of him. "Naruto…is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Have an ANBU unit stationed outside Sasuke's building, with two men at his apartment door. Let them stay there until Sasuke and I get there tomorrow."

"I'll handle that," Kakashi said. He straightened from the wall and left the room.

-oOo-

After a brief goodnight to Naruto and Sasuke, Iruka left as well. He met Kakashi in the hall, which was deserted. "I'll see you at home?" he asked the older man.

"Yes. How long will you be?"

"I figured I'd stay a couple of hours or so. Just in case. They're both in such bad shape."

Kakashi nodded. "All right." Then, because the hall was deserted for the moment, he pulled his mask down, leaned in quickly, and pecked Iruka's lips. He had his mask up and was striding down the hall a moment later.

Iruka retrieved a chair from the nurses station around the corner and set it outside Sasuke's room. He sat in it.

Sasuke stewed in rage for all of fifteen minutes before his pain, fear, and other assorted bodily discomforts (chief among them hunger) got the best of him. He suddenly burst into great, noisy sobbing, and tried unsuccessfully to mop up his tears with a corner of the bed sheet. He even blew his nose in the thing, but then his fear won out against everything else and he looked over at Naruto, who was watching him stoically.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke hiccupped. "It's just…I'm really scared. My whole life Itachi's been telling me that Akatsuki was after us, and that if they caught us we'd die slowly and painfully. I can't imagine what they're doing to him, but I know he's hurting. He's hurting and I can't take the thought of him in pain. And I have to sit here and get well or I won't be able to save him, and there you are telling me you won't let me go, and I just snapped, okay? Please. I'm sorry, but I have to get him back and I can't let anything stop me. I'd do the same for you. I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm s-s-sorryyyyy!"

Sasuke's words trailed off into a wailing shriek. Naruto watched him slip into full-blown hysterics without moving a muscle or batting an eye. His wall had never been up so firmly, and by God it was not coming down again. The boy had hurt him unimaginably; Sasuke could damn well sit there and drop dead of a hysteria-induced coronary for all Naruto cared.

Iruka rushed inside at hearing all the noise. He took in the scene at a glance, noting Naruto's immovable posture of stiff indifference, and went directly to Sasuke. He sat on the edge of the bed and put a firm, comforting hand on the back of Sasuke neck. "Hey…easy, Sasuke. Calm down. What's wrong?"

"E-everything!" Sasuke's breath hitched in and out of him violently, and he swiped an arm under his running nose. "My brother's probably dying as I sit here, and Naruto's pissed at me, and I keep screwing shit up! I don't know what to do!" he pressed the heel of his good hand to the fierce ache between his eyes, nearly dizzy now.

Iruka rubbed a soothing hand up and down Sasuke's arm, offering what comfort he could. Sasuke actually leaned against him, apparently needing precisely this. "We'll find your brother, Sasuke. We won't rest until we do. Right now, the best way you can help Itachi is to rest as much as you can during these twenty-four hours. All right? Can you do that?"

Sasuke sniffed. Then he nodded his head against Iruka's shoulder. "But it's so long. He needs me now."

"Rest." Iruka pressed a button near Sasuke's pillow. "Things will be better tomorrow." He spoke to the nurse who came in at his summons quietly in a corner. She nodded, consulted Sasuke's chart, then came to Sasuke and said she'd be giving him something to help him sleep.

"Can I eat first?" he asked.

"Of course." She had a pretty smile.

-oOo-

When it was just him and Naruto, Sasuke risked a glance at him. "I don't suppose you're going to forgive me?"

"I don't see why I should."

"You love me. You have to forgive me. I forgave you when-"

"Contrary to what you seem to think, apologies don't erase the things people say, Sasuke. It just means you want the chance to do it again."

"No, it doesn't."

"You swore you'd never say you hated me again. Not only did you say it again, you threatened to kill me."

Sasuke weighed the angry glint in Naruto's eyes against trying to argue further, and decided to remain silent. For now. There was too much going on right now for him to know what to do, but as soon as he had his brother back, he'd make things up to Naruto. He would. He just couldn't deal with it now.

When his food was brought, he ate, asked for more, ate that too, then slipped lower into the bed on a sigh. The nurse gave him an injection that had him out five minutes later.

-oOo-

Naruto waited until he was sure that Sasuke was completely asleep, and Iruka had poked his head in to say that he was leaving, before he got up and checked the hall outside the room. Empty. He could hear the nurses around the corner, but that was all.

Being in this hospital –anywhere but on his mountain or in the forest, really- had him just shy of losing it. That was the simple truth. Maybe he'd reacted badly to Sasuke's attack, and maybe he was forgetting the simple fact that Sasuke was going through a lot tonight, but he could think of only one other time in his life when he'd been this furious. And he never thought about that time in his life.

He shut the door to the room, and stood thinking a moment. He remembered hearing the nurse say that she would check up on Sasuke in a couple of hours.

The chair he'd been sitting in had metal armrests, maybe two inches thick. He took the chair up and inspected it. Then he wrenched the arm off one side, grunting shortly when it came free. He used this to jamb the door firmly shut, ensuring that he wouldn't be interrupted. Done, he turned toward the bed.

The way he saw it, the sooner Itachi was found and brought back, the sooner Sasuke would have someone to look after him.

When morning came, Ino began her shift with an inspection of Sasuke. She found Naruto standing in a corner, head against the wall, gaze solidly on Sasuke's sleeping face.

Sasuke woke when she placed a hand on his forehead. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Great," Sasuke frowned. "Like…seriously. I feel much better than yesterday."

Ino had been checking his chart as he said this. "No surprises in the night. You slept straight through?"

For some reason, Sasuke glanced at Naruto. He had a vague memory of waking halfway during the night to find Naruto in bed with him…"Yeah, I think so."

"Well, let me get a look at you." She checked him thoroughly, ignoring his blush of embarrassment at having his hospital gown matter-of-factly pulled aside.

It quickly became obvious that Sasuke had improved significantly. Ino spent a particularly long time on his left side and arm, using chakra to conduct her assessment.

"Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked when the silence stretched out. Ino's chakra felt cool and tingly.

"Depends," she stated. Her mouth was somewhat tight. "I'd say the wounds in your side are more than halfway healed, and the fracture in your arm also quite advanced along the healing process." She straightened up, hand on her hip, as she stared at Naruto. "Do you have something you'd like to say?"

"How soon can we leave this place?" Naruto asked.

"Speeding up the healing process can have adverse side effects," Ino retorted, ignoring the question. "Besides which, I don't like having my handiwork tampered with."

Naruto had an expression on his face that said clearly, 'I don't give a fuck what you like.' Ino held his blue stare with a hard one of his own, debating whether or not to give him a piece of her mind. She was so over the novelty of his arrival; screwing with her patients was a surefire way to piss Yamanaka Ino off.

Iruka and Kakashi came in then, and Ino left with a sniff of annoyance.

-oOo-

There was a heated argument between Naruto and Sasuke over just what, if anything, could be done to retrieve Itachi. Ino had pronounced Sasuke ready to be discharged, no further wait necessary, but where were they supposed to go? It wasn't as if Akatsuki's whereabouts were known. Then there was the whole business of the mission itself being undertaken illegally. Sasuke couldn't understand why Naruto didn't just step in and accept the role of Hokage in order to bring Itachi back. Naruto went on and on about how he would not be led by the nose to a role he had no intention of filling. The council could throw everything they had at him, he raged, and he would politely had them their asses carved into whatever shape they preferred. Sasuke called him deranged and insane, after which there was a dangerous hush in the room. Iruka and Kakashi exchanged glances with Naruto and Sasuke. Then Naruto erupted into full-blown wrath, screaming and throwing the maimed chair hard enough to crack the wall. He called Sasuke selfish, immature, and too dense to realize that his brother was probably long dead.

"All right." Iruka stepped forward with his hands raised for peace. "All right, I think this has gone far enough. Naruto, you have your reasons for thinking as you do about Itachi, just as Sasuke has his reasons. However, this animosity between you two has got to stop. You've done nothing but fight since coming to the hospital, but Kakashi and I both saw how much you love each other. Where is that love now? Nothing whatsoever will get accomplished if you two can't come to some kind of understanding." He looked expectantly back and forth between the two younger men.

Sasuke sat brooding, but Iruka was right. All he and Naruto did anymore was fight. He couldn't understand how they could go from being so in love to being so angry at each other. And he still loved Naruto, that was the thing. He loved him, and understood how scared Naruto was for him to go up against Akatsuki, but at the same time he didn't see why Naruto had to be so stubborn. He said as much.

"Enough!"Iruka shouted. He was calm again instantly, inhaling deeply through his nose as he closed his eyes for patience. "None of this is helping Itachi, if the man needs help."

"He does," Sasuke insisted.

"Which you can't know for sure," Naruto muttered.

"I do know it for sure," Sasuke snapped.

"How?" Kakashi asked curiously. "You've been saying it since last night, but I'm sure all of us would like to know just how it is you can be so sure."

"Because I know my brother," Sasuke said quietly. "And I know what I saw in the apartment."

While Kakashi and Naruto digested this, Iruka nodded. "Well, okay then. It seems the apartment will be our first stop. Here, I brought clothes for you, Sasuke. My own. I think they'll fit."

Sasuke took the clothes and dressed in the bathroom. His body still felt stiff and sluggish, but at least his pain was drastically less. He studied his reflection in the mirror over the sink as he tried to comb his hair with his fingers. He'd only received a basic wash up when he'd been stitched. There was still dried blood on him in places. He felt filthy.

At the apartment building, the four of them stood looking up at the singed bricks while the ANBU unit stationed outside reported that all had been quiet. "No one else from Akatsuki has been by," one cat mask-wearing man answered in response to Kakashi's question. "And everyone going in or out of the building was duly scrutinized."

"No one's come near the apartment," the two agents outside Sasuke door said. "Premises are secure."

Kakashi looked to Naruto. Naruto, who wore a permanent frown of displeasure on his face, gave a curt nod. I sense nothing out of the ordinary, the nod said. Iruka, seeing this exchange, placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "All right. You can go in."

Sasuke swallowed and took a deep breath. The other three men saw him transform before there eyes. His nerves and fear bled away as he exhaled, it seemed, and what was left behind was a silent, analytical creature of razor sharp intellect.

-oOo-

The doorway was a ragged hole. Looking at the uneven edges, Sasuke privately wondered how he'd done that; he couldn't summon the strength or force to smash through a solid wooden door now if his life depended on it. Then again, at the time he'd done it, his life had depended on escaping Kisame. He's been hyped on adrenaline and fright at the time, which had probably helped.

He stepped carefully over jagged threshold and entered his apartment. He stood, eyes on, and looked over every detail carefully. He could feel Naruto at his back, and Kakashi and Iruka behind him. The ANBU agents stayed out in the hall. No one spoke.

Living room devoid of info. Kitchen was as he'd left it. Hall, bathroom, hall closet (where Kisame no doubt had hid), Itachi's bedroom. Nothing. All the same. He hadn't picked up anything when he'd been here last time, but he wanted to be sure. Done, Sasuke finally went past the three men following him and back down the hall to his room. Here, he stood in the doorway and looked around.

It was completely empty. No furniture. No curtains. Nothing whatsoever. He walked slowly into the room and stood in the center. He turned in a small circle, then went to where his bed had been. He stooped and opened the floorboard he'd altered to hold his book and other things he'd bought at Nara Drugs. Nothing. He hadn't really expected anything. He stood up again.

The silence stretched out as Sasuke stared blankly at a wall in his room. At last, Kakashi said, "How does this room mean your brother is still alive? I know you said the room being empty means he was trying to cover up the fact of your existence, but…it's been 10 days, Sasuke."

When Sasuke spoke, it was in a low voice, with him still staring at the wall. "You don't know my brother like I do. You don't know how he thinks, how he sets things up. He doesn't think like normal people. He barely even lives in the present. His mind is always a hundred moves ahead, analyzing the outcome of everything, and I mean everything he does, down to eating a candy bar. And you'd never know it to look at him, either. You'd think he was a regular guy, but how he thinks is the reason we've stayed out of Akatsuki's clutches. I said this recently to Naruto, but if Itachi was caught, then it was deliberate; there's just no way to get the drop on him."

Kakashi seemed unconvinced. "Still…"

Sasuke gestured at his room. "If Itachi did this, then he knew they were coming. And if he knew they were coming, that means he had time to book. He didn't. Instead, he-"

"What is it?" Iruka asked when Sasuke trailed off.

Sasuke walked past them and into the hall. He stood looking at the open kitchen. At the ramen cups. "He knew they were coming, but he sat there and slurped ramen like he had all the time in the world. He didn't want me to know they were coming." He turned around, looking at the other three serious faces. "He played me."

"I'm sorry?" Kakashi lifted one brow.

But Sasuke's mind was like a runaway train, hurtling toward the truth of the situation, the full truth. "Fuck," he whispered in awe. He saw the three stares and settled on Naruto's. His chin lifted defiantly. "My brother knew you were coming too. He knew you'd come for me."

"I seriously doubt that," Naruto quipped. "There's no way he could have known-"

Sasuke shook his head. "I do know. Because of what he said to me. He told me to get out and never come back. To go with you. Newsflash, my brother would never, ever entrust my safety to someone else. Never. It was our mother's dying wish for him to protect me and he's been doing it since he was six. He wouldn't have given me up to God himself, unless he was sure I'd be safer than I would be with him. He knew Akatsuki was coming, knew you were coming, and made sure to say whatever he had to in order to get me to walk out that door with you." Sasuke turned back to the table and looked at the ramen cups. "God, he must have been out of his mind with fear. Knowing Akatsuki was coming…he started pushing me away the second we were home," Sasuke realized. He was remembering. "He punched me, told me he hated me, ignored me…he wanted me to jump at the chance to leave when Naruto came, and I did."

"But how'd he know I was coming?" Naruto wanted to know. "I didn't even know I was coming until I got here."

"I don't know," Sasuke said. "But Itachi has always been able to size someone up at first glance. He was able to tell what kind of person they were and what they truly wanted. Said it helped him with work. And also, he spoke to the Hokage after our blood was drawn. Maybe she said something to him."

"So your brother knew Akatsuki and Naruto were coming, and planned to have you gone when the former showed up," Kakashi summarized. "That still doesn't explain why you think he's still alive and waiting for you to rescue him."

"I know because of the last thing he said to me," Sasuke said quietly. "He said he was trusting me. His exact words were, 'I am trusting you, bro.' He said some other shit after that, but that's the key right there. It's something he only ever said when we were playing hide-and-seek."

The men exchanged glances.

Sasuke explained. "Itachi would hide something for me to find in a town or village or wherever. It would always be miles away from wherever we were when the day started. We'd travel around through the day, and all day he'd talk non-stop. Useful things, interesting things, but he wouldn't shut up. Then, at the end of the day, he'd tell me that something he'd said during the day was the clue I needed to find the thing. Usually a single sentence or phrase. There was never any warning at the beginning of the day that we were playing the game, not unless I asked to play the game beforehand. A lot of times, Itachi would just spring it on me. Anyway, he'd tell me to find the thing, and I'd say I would. I'd tell him to trust me. And he'd say 'I am trusting, bro.' Always. Just like that. It was like his catchphrase for that game."

Iruka was wide-eyed with shock. "What you're saying would necessitate total recall of everything said in the space of several hours, Sasuke. Very few people, if any, have that kind of eidetic ability. Can you tell me now every single word you've heard since waking up this morning if I asked you?"

"With facial expressions and intonation," Sasuke confirmed without hesitation.

While Iruka seemed to ponder this, Kakashi stepped forward. "So you think your brother left something for you to find?"

"Not some thing. Him," Sasuke stressed. "He wants me to find him. He knew they were coming for him. But it's more than that. The game was really about finding the clue."

"Itachi left a clue behind for you to find?" Iruka asked.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes."

Naruto looked around at all of them. "All right, I've had enough. Does no one else smell what utter bullshit this is? Sasuke's right, Itachi wouldn't have given him up to God himself. He'd hardly be likely to aim Sasuke at Akatsuki, would he? The very thing he's protected the boy against all these years?"

Iruka and Kakashi frowned. Sasuke snorted. Then he grinned. "You're not listening, Naruto. I said Itachi wouldn't have given me up to anyone unless he knew for a fact that I was safer with that person than with him. And since we're playing the game, I have to believe he's equipped me with everything I need to find the object, which is him in this case." He stood smirking up at Naruto.

"Seeing as we're talking about Akatsuki, I assume he left you a weapon of sorts?" Iruka said uncertainly.

"Or an army?" Kakashi threw in.

"Both," Sasuke smiled. "He left me with Naruto."

Naruto blinked. "Come again? How is this my fight?"

"Again, not paying attention," Sasuke said. "I told you, Itachi played me. He made sure I'd leave. He probably knew what we'd be doing. He knows how you feel about me. Had to, if he knew you'd come for me. Which means he knew, when he set things up for me to come after him, that you'd probably come with me. The reason Itachi let himself be caught? The real reason? Because we were made and the only way to keep me safe at that point was to take Akatsuki out. To do that, he'd have to make himself a target. By making himself a target, he made them a target because I'd be coming for him…and you'd be coming with me. He wasn't aiming me at Akatsuki, so much as aiming you, Naruto. Conclusion? He expects you and me to land on Akatsuki with both feet and wipe them off the face of the Earth. Well, you really."

While Kakashi and Iruka stood in stunned silence as the plan was revealed at last, Naruto actually chuckled in pure disbelief. "Why in hell would he think I was even capable of that?"

"Because the Hokage said that you're the strongest man alive. I'll bet my life that that was the precise moment Itachi hatched this little plan." Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets.

"So the clue, whatever it is, is something that will lead us to Akatsuki," Iruka said thoughtfully. "Am I correct in thinking that?" Sasuke nodded. "Well, what's the clue, then?"

"I don't know," Sasuke frowned. "But it had to have been something he said that night."

"Well, spit it out," Kakashi said. He was feeling adrenaline. If Akatsuki's whereabouts were known after all these years, blood was about to fly.

Sasuke fidgeted, taking his hands out of his pockets again. "Right. The thing about my recall, for words or images, is that I can only really recall the past 24 hours with perfect accuracy. Anything longer, and I'll make mistakes. And that night was a tense one…and it was so long ago…"

Kakashi and Iruka wilted a bit. Naruto remained leaning against the wall, arms folded. He eyed Sasuke shrewdly. "You'll recall whatever your brother said, though, because you're hell-bent on saving him. Aren't you?"

Sasuke nodded jerkily. "I'm going to try."

"All right," Sasuke said when they were all in the living room. "The window I have to recall is thankfully small. Whatever Itachi said had to have occurred between the time the Hokage said what she said about Naruto, and the time I walked out of the apartment later that night. The thing is, he would only have given the clue when he knew Akatsuki was coming, and I have no way of knowing just when it was he knew that. I don't think it was when he showed up on the mountain…"

His eyes met Naruto's then, and found the blue ones on his face. Itachi had walked in on them about to kiss. Sasuke couldn't keep from remembering just how close he and Naruto had been up until a few days ago, and he could tell Naruto was thinking the same thing. Sasuke forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.

"I was with Itachi from that point on," he resumed. "So him paying the rent and quitting his job had to have been done before. That only means he was planning to whisk me off the mountain and ditch Konoha, though, not that he left me for good." This last was directed at Naruto, who said nothing. "I can't remember him saying anything on the ride to the Hokage's office. And I think the only things he said while the Hokage was speaking were questions of his own. I don't think he said anything else to me until we were home."

They were all quiet while Sasuke thought hard.

Naruto was doing some thinking of his own. He had to hand it to Itachi, the plan was sound, if reckless and unforgivably presumptive on his part. To assume he'd tag along after Sasuke…is exactly what you're doing, a voice spoke up in his mind. He didn't like being manipulated. He hated being used, one of the reasons he lived as he did, and the entire reason he refused to be Hokage. Or nearly the entire reason.

However, he'd come to a decision about Sasuke and the role the boy played in his life. And if he was to implement that decision, he would need Akatsuki out of the way. He had to know the boy would be safe or he'd never be able to do what needed to be done. Which was why he'd sped up the boy's recovery. Naruto needed Itachi looking after Sasuke. So he waited with his former teachers while the boy thought.

"Guh, it's no use," Sasuke sighed, when twenty minutes had gone by. "I can't find anything telling in the things he said to me that night."

"Maybe it was something he said to someone else?" Iruka suggested helpfully.

"No, the clue was always said directly to me, and once identified, was always obvious as the clue." He frowned, tugging on his lip.

"What is it?" Naruto asked. He could tell Sasuke had thought of something.

"Huh? Nothing," Sasuke said. "It's just…I'm remembering something else Itachi said. It wasn't to someone else, but someone else was there when he said it. I remember thinking it was weird."

Kakashi stepped closer. "What was it?"

"We'd gone off to get our blood taken," Sasuke said. His voice was vague, his mind firmly in the examining room the Hokage's assistant had met them in ten days ago. Or eleven days ago, as the case was. "Itachi said something…something about people yelling." He gasped as a tingle spread across his scalp. "Oh my God, that's the clue, I know it is."

"Yelling?" Naruto asked sharply. "That's it? What does that mean?"

Sasuke shook his head, holding his hand up for complete quiet. He closed his eyes and put himself back in that room. So much had happened to him since then that it was almost like trying to press one's self through a brick wall. The memories came, but haltingly. Concentrating, Sasuke thought back.

-oOo-

The guy, the Hokage's assistant, drawing blood from them.

"That should do it," the man smiled. "Your names? I need to put them on the vials."

Sasuke waited for Itachi to answer. When he didn't, he looked over at him curiously.

Itachi stared blandly at the guy. The look on his face was not one Sasuke could ever remember seeing. It was equal parts alert and preoccupied, while somehow managing to be completely closed. Then Itachi said, "Some people yell."

-oOo-

Sasuke opened his eyes. "Some people yell," he whispered. "That's what he said."

Iruka cocked his head. "How is that the clue?"

Sasuke blinked a few times. He was finding it hard to breathe now, as understanding came to him. "Well…Itachi had all sorts of ways for delivering the clues, but the easiest, quickest, and simplest way was an acronym. I have to think that Itachi didn't have much time to plan, and went with that method."

"So…going by what he said, the clue would be…spy?" Kakashi asked

Sasuke nodded. "Has to be. I remember how he looked at the assistant. I remember thinking what a weird expression it was. Itachi knew that person, or had seen him before, I'm sure of it now. He saw that guy and knew he was tied to Akatsuki, which had to mean he'd seen the guy the night our clan was murdered. He was trying to tell me the guy was a spy, but since I didn't know we were playing the game, I didn't pick up on it right then. He was probably counting on me not making the connection until later, and so kept it simple."

Naruto and Sasuke both shifted at feeling the sudden surge in Kakashi and Iruka's chakra. The ANBU agents standing guard outside the apartment door poked their heads in at feeling the killing intent from the two Jounin.

Naruto felt a sudden, surprising thirst for blood himself. He might detest the old broad's interference, but the woman had rescued him from Danzo. The one and only reason he associated with her at all. And she was family. Distant, but family still. "Didn't you say this assistant is the one watching over Tsunade's comatose state?" he rasped dangerously.

"And likely the cause of it," Kakashi breathed. "In fact, he probably killed Shizune in order to be the Hokage's sole assistant. Tsunade-sama dropped from exertion the night we saw you on the mountain, but she didn't slip into a coma until the following morning…after her assistant had been summoned."

Sasuke felt chills chase over his skin at seeing each man prep himself for violence right before his eyes, with nothing more than shifted stances and a few words exchanged. "Who is he? Who's her assistant?" he asked.

Iruka answered grimly. "Yakushi Kabuto."