The point of view at the beginning is neither Naruto nor Sasuke, but it's not too hard to guess. The point of view also switches from Naruto to Sasuke. I'm sorry if this gets confusing, but it will make sense in the end. I AM SO SORRY ABOUT SLOWNESS. I almost stopped the story, but my friends got ticked at me. xD

"You're sure this is the place?" My partner commented.

"Yes, very sure. He hasn't tried yet, so I'll have to make him a bit angrier." I replied.

"I'll stay out here, so I don't look suspicious." He said.

I didn't answer, just stood still for a moment. Then I performed the Henge hand seal, and my body got slightly smaller. I could tell my partner could see more changes than just my size.

"He'll never know the difference." He snickered.

"I'm going, Kisame."

"Have fun." He answered sarcastically.

(The Naruto switch is here.)

"You can't be serious!" I yelled in disbelief after hearing the news. We had been following a far distance behind the clone for a long time, and we had finally reached desert terrain. Sakura's arm had healed, but we were both drained. We weren't sure why they were headed this way, until now.

"I am serious. My clone followed them all the way to Orochimaru's hideout. He said the entrance is in the face of a cliff roughly five miles that way." He pointed, and when I looked, I could see the faint, dark line of the cliffs. I remembered they were part of the protective geography for the sand village, but the sand village was still way past them.

"So we're going there?" Sakura asked.

"Of course. Our original mission was to find information on him, but now that we have the chance, we may get to bring a certain missing ninja back with us." Yamato glanced at me, but I ignored him. I was determined to get there quick.

My head spun, not quite like it had earlier, but with ideas. What if Sasuke was at this particular base? What if I could see him? What if I could talk to him? What if I could beat his sorry ass into coming home?

What if he tried to kill me again?

Sakura must have been considering most of the same things. "You really think Orochimaru would take that kind of risk knowing we've seen him? Sasuke might be at another base."

"I thought that at first, too." Yamato replied. "But I have a good feeling about this."

I couldn't read Sakura's face. She almost looked like she dreaded going at all.

We reached the cliffs, but no entrance. We scaled up and down the face, but found nothing even remotely close to one.

"There has to be a secret to getting in. My clone must have seen them, and followed, but-" Yamato began.

"It's hollow!" Sakura said suddenly. She was pressed up against the side of the cliff, the particular spot having a crack from a rock cut out. "There's only about 4 inches of rock, so if we can move this, we'll get in." She motioned against the cut out. "Help me push it in."

Yamato started for her, but I shook my head. "One blast from Rasengan, and that rock's toast."

"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves." Yamato objected. I sighed, but we all three pushed on the rock. It went in just fine, but we could only barely crawl through.

The space we crawled into instantly broke off into a hallway. Looking down a ways, I could tell the place was like a maze. Their were turns, doors, and halls. The halls were poorly lit with candles hanging on the walls.

"Sasuke could be anywhere in this place." Sakura shook her head slowly.

"It's probably infested with snakes." Yamato added. "We should-"

"Point?" I asked. "We're here! Let's start looking!" I clenched my fists, and Yamato and Sakura sighed. "We can cover more space if we split up."

Yamato nodded. "You're not going to like this, Naruto…"

I blinked at him in confusion. "Hm?"

"We will be splitting up yes, but Sakura and I will be searching for Sasuke. Your job is to find Sai." He cringed as if already prepared for my scream.

"What!?" I snarled.

"Shhh." Sakura hissed back. "Naruto, you might find him on your way. It's not like you can't search." She whispered.

"Fine." I muttered, practically pouting.

I walked off to go one direction, and Sakura walked towards the other. Before I could get away, Yamato grabbed my shoulder. "You're still nearly drained and wounded from earlier. Don't use too much chakra, and by no means use that power of yours."

I swallowed and nodded. It was still slightly hard to stand, let alone use Kyubbi.

We walked off in our separate directions. When I was sure I was alone, I ran, and began slamming doors open.

(Sasuke switch)

I had memorized most of the chakra signatures in the building. Orochimaru had a few slaves at this base, so I knew theirs. I also knew his, Kabuto's, and the snakes chakra by heart.

Now there were three I could vaguely identify, but not well, and two that I didn't recognize at all. People who weren't supposed to be in the base were in the base.

I blinked my eyes into sharingan and left my room. The only thing I could hear was my own footsteps, so they must have been far away. I knew they weren't simple rogue ninja, either. They had found a way in, and I had sensed their chakra as strong.

I continued searching, though I was leisure about it. I didn't want to frighten them out, I wanted to know who they were.

I tried to consider the possibilities. They weren't simple ninja, and three of them I could slightly identify. One of these three more than the rest. But I hadn't come in contact with people or Chakra other than Orochimaru, Kabuto, and what I had thought of earlier. There had been Konoha ninja almost three years ago, but Chakra signatures weren't something I was extremely keen on then. All but…

Not Naruto.

There was absolutely no way Naruto had gotten into the base. He's in Konoha, happy with Sakura, advancing on his way to become a better ninja.

But it wasn't so easy to hope that, anymore.

(Naruto switch)

Geez, the place is huge. You think we'll ever find either of them in here?

I don't know.

Do you want to find them?

I want to beat both of them to a pulp, kit. Of course I want to find them.

Like I'd let you.

You're thinking about it.


Only Sai, maybe.

You want to be angry at Uchiha boy, as well.

I guess I do a little.

…

In that moment of conversation with Kyubbi, I slammed a door open, and I stopped dead in my tracks. The room was well lit with multiple candles, and there was a table. The person inside turned to face me. He was holding a book in his hand.

"Sai!" I screeched at the top of my lungs.

He just grinned at me. "Hi Naruto, funny to find you-ulch…"

I grabbed him by his neck and squeezed, only enough to threaten, not to suffocate. "What the hell are you thinking?! I heard the whole thing, how you betrayed us to go with Orochimaru, how you might have some secret mission to-" I went on.

"I…Ha-have a secret mission." Sai choked. "Le-Let go."

I glared at him, then with one last squeeze, I let go.

"I'll tell you what I came here to do," He gasped a few times. "If you answer a question for me."

"I'll answer what ever you've got." I replied defiantly.

"Why do you care so much about that traitor Sasuke, even after he left?"

Except that. "You wouldn't understand."

I had kept that secret between Sakura, Kakashi, Iruka, Jiriya, and mistakenly Gai. I had only told people that I trusted and that I knew would accept me despite my decision.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter whether or not I would understand. Tell me."

I decided it was worth knowing his mission. He wasn't an important person, and his opinion didn't matter to me.

"I love Sasuke." I smiled at my own words, and for a moment I knew Sai didn't get it. Then his expression took a dramatic change, and I knew he did.

"Sasuke is special to me. He's my best friend, and unlike you, I know that there's so much more to him than being a traitor. No matter what he does, I still remember him as just being someone I loved more than anyone else." I couldn't make the smile leave my face even if I wanted to. Sai just stared at me.

A few seconds passed, and Sai replied, "My mission is to kill Sasuke."

I felt my eyes widen and smile fade the moment he said it. "What?" I nearly choked on air.

"I've been ordered to do so, that way Orochimaru won't have a future body to attack Konoha with."

"You can't!" I backed up a few steps. "There's no way I'll let you do-" I stopped my own words. Sasuke had been here for two and a half years training. He must have been a super weapon by now. I didn't think Sai could touch him.

"Naruto, I won't." He said.

"Huh?" I got suspicious of his reply.

"You made me remember one of my special bonds from long ago. I think I understand why you feel that way about Sasuke. I want to help you find him. I don't want to follow that order."

"Sai-" I started to say.

"Enough. If we don't find him soon, Orochimaru will come back."

I grinned. "Sai, I can't believe you, but for the record you're still a freak."

He just shrugged, and moments later we were dashing back through the hallways.

(Sasuke switch.)

I had nearly bolted around a corner when I caught myself. I looked past it in horror at the holder of the chakra I had sensed.

No way in Hell, yet here he was.

Naruto.

Although I still felt suspicious of it for some reason.

I decided it would be best to show myself, it wasn't like I could run away. I didn't run away from things, I killed things. But Naruto?

I couldn't control all the thoughts that came into my head when I turned the corner. Naruto flicked his head to look at me.

I knew in just that instant that it wasn't Naruto. The expression was wrong and the eyes were worse. With the evidence of the eyes, I could only think of one other person.

I let my emotions show, my blank face gone in a snap. "If you thought you could fool me, you're wrong!" I growled, ripping my sword from it's sheath and dashing forward.

The Naruto imposter jumped backwards and to the side, and followed suit with a kunai. "What's wrong Sasuke, don't you recognize me?"

"You can't fool me, Itachi!"

Sasuke was quick to see the fake Naruto, but will it be so easy for Sakura or Yamato...? I will TRY to update quicker, forgive me!