Greetings! I apologize for the delay, but life got in the way big time and put me out of commission for a little while. I'm almost back to normal, so I'm picking up my writing.
I usually don't like to bore people with author's notes, but there are a few things I wanted to address:
Itachi's Fate: This has not been mentioned for a reason. I've dropped a couple of hints, though. I believe in writing a story with enough mystery and suspense to keep people interested, as opposed to spoon feeding the reader everything. In addition to that, the first scene I envisioned for this story is the scene where Itachi's fate is revealed, and I'm not ready to write it just yet.
Technique Names: This chapter made it painfully clear that using the Japanese name in a predominantly English story doesn't work for me, so I'm exercising my creative license and will use the English names instead (now that I know where to find them). I will use the Japanese translations, not the half English/half Japanese that the dub uses (shudders at the sheer ugliness of it).
Story Updates: It takes me months to post a new chapter, and not everyone is happy with that or likes the wait. I write long chapters because I believe in giving the reader a chapter that is long enough to get caught up in, because that's what I like to read. I also edit, and in that process re-write, the chapter quite a few times. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I try to at least do what I can to make each chapter the best that I can. That takes time. I will not sacrifice my writing process in order to post a chapter every week. If you don't like waiting for me to post, then you don't have to read the story, it's that simple.
Summary: A couple of people have mentioned, and I completely agree with them, that my summary stinks. I tend to be very generic in the summary because I don't want to give anything away, but that's not always a good thing as it has deterred people from reading (I don't know about this story, but I do know for sure about a couple of my others). I'll work on refining it over the course of the story… maybe I'll get it right eventually.
Reviews: Thank you to those of you who take the time (especially those of you who take the time to review every chapter) to leave me a review. I was very disappointed for a while, because I could see how many people were reading each chapter, but less than 1 percent of those people were reviewing and I couldn't figure out why that was. I still don't know why that is, but at least it's getting a little better.
Story Notes: The incident Sakura thinks about in this chapter takes place during episode 109. Kakashi's conversation with Sasuke from chapter 6 takes place in episode 108. I forgot to note this in that chapter.
Okay, that's it! I think I've used up all of my author's notes space for the rest of the story… lol! Sorry about that. As always, enjoy!
Posted 4/28/07
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Chapter 7: Unexpected Visitors
The lights that signified the life of the village got fewer and further between as Sakura walked towards the outskirts of the place she'd lived in her entire life. This part of the village was dark and almost deserted. The few buildings that still remained were mostly old, administrative buildings that had once been teeming with Uchiha but had been abandoned when the prestigious clan had been massacred. The few buildings that were not abandoned had been converted to apartment homes, but even those only housed a small number of people. Most of Konoha's citizens feared the Uchiha ghosts and stayed away from this place, and those that chose to live here did so mainly because they were not welcome anywhere else.
Sakura saw none of the residents as she reached the fork in the road she'd been heading for. She came to a stop, suddenly unsure of what she was doing. She looked to her left, at the road that would lead her to the young man that had become one of her most important friends, and was sorely tempted to head in that direction. She knew the reception she would get if she headed that way, and had to resist the urge to find comfort in her former teammate. Instead, she turned and started down the road to her right, towards an unknown and possibly unpleasant reception.
The young man she was headed towards had, at one point in her life, meant everything to her. A few weeks ago, she'd thought that she was over Sasuke, but seeing him again had reminded her of a lot of her old feelings. For just that reason, she'd avoided him. There were a lot of things that she wanted to ask him, but she knew that Sasuke would be brutally honest in his answers, and she didn't think that she was ready for that. Tonight, however, she decided that she'd face her past like she had faced everything else in her life for the past six years: head on and with no hesitation.
One of the memories that had returned, and refused to leave her mind, since Sasuke came back was the memory of the night Sasuke had left Konoha for good. She smiled sadly as she recalled the way the night had started, with her and Naruto's first "date". It hadn't been a real date, of course, but Sakura had wanted to tell Naruto about the curse seal Orochimaru had placed on Sasuke, a secret Sasuke had made her keep from their teammate during the Chunin exams. They'd ended up at Ichiraku, and she'd told her teammate everything. Naruto, in turn, had confessed to meeting Orochimaru during his and Jiraiya's search for Tsunade. The blonde had then given her one of his goofy grins and told her not to worry, because Sasuke was already strong and wouldn't accept Orochimaru's invitation.
I guarantee it, Naruto had said, and Sakura couldn't help but believe her teammate's heart-felt words.
As they'd left the ramen stand, Sakura had gotten a strange feeling of dread, which had ultimately prompted her to go and wait on a bench on the main road leading out of the village. To this day, she couldn't tell what she had been expecting to find on that road, but she hadn't been too surprised to find Sasuke when he'd finally come through.
When she'd confronted him, he'd told her to go home and sleep. The dismissal had hurt deeply, but it had also given her the strength to finally say what she'd wanted to say to him and had been, up to that point, too timid to put into words. Sasuke had always told her that she was annoying, and that day she'd stated what she thought were Sasuke's feelings for her:
You've always hated me, huh?
Sakura had been crying by then, and the tears had only increased when Sasuke hadn't denied the claim. She'd been so desperate to excuse what he was saying and doing that she could hardly think straight. Sakura knew he was leaving and would have done anything she possibly could to keep him with her. She tried to reason with him, told him that revenge wouldn't make him happy, and he countered by saying that he was different and was meant for something other than what Naruto and Sakura were destined for. Sakura had only cried harder and told him that if he left, even though she had friends and a family, she'd be alone.
I love you so much. If you stay with me, I'll make sure you won't regret it. Every day will be fun. We'll definitely be happy. I'll do anything for you, so please stay here.
She'd bared her soul completely and held nothing back in hopes that her honesty would sway him to remain. She'd even offered to go with him, but all Sasuke had done was say that she was annoying after all. When she'd threatened to scream, he'd moved so fast that she'd lost track of him for a moment, and when she realized where he was, it was too late. He'd hit her on the back of the head and knocked her out, but not before thanking her. He hadn't told her what he was thanking her for, but that one simple phrase had kept her hopes alive for these many years.
She had been so young and foolish at the time, but the tears that now streamed down her cheeks at the memory made her realize that Sasuke was still an open wound in her heart, and tonight's visit would either reopen the wound further and irrevocably break her heart, or help it begin to heal. She wouldn't know until she confronted the young mad that had helped shape her into the young woman that she was.
Sakura had been so deep in thought that she'd failed to notice she had entered the Uchiha neighborhood and was now standing in front of Sasuke's house. The place still looked abandoned, even though she could see that Sasuke had done some work to the outside. She wondered, not for the first time, what the house had looked like in its prime, before Itachi had killed his clan. She couldn't imagine how Sasuke managed to live here after the massacre and how he managed to live here now, even if it was an order from the Hokage.
She took a deep breath and did her best to calm her nerves. She wiped the few, remaining tears from her cheeks, and when she felt prepared for what was to come, she knocked on the door three times. She waited for a few minutes, but there was no response. She knocked again, and when there was still no response, she began to worry. She'd been so wrapped up in her memories that she hadn't checked to make sure she could feel Sasuke's chakra in the house. Even if she looked for it, however, Sasuke was a skilled enough ninja that there was no guarantee that he she'd sense it.
Deciding to give it a try anyway, Sakura was surprised to find that Sasuke was inside the house. A part of her wondered if he knew she was the one visiting and had chosen not to answer the door. Then she remembered that Sasuke wouldn't do that. If he didn't want to see her, he'd come to the door and tell her to get lost. Leaving before he answered the door was very appealing, but she'd come all this way and cooked a meal for the both of them and she wasn't about to run away. She knocked three more times and finally, after a couple more minutes of waiting, the door was opened to reveal a shirtless Sasuke wearing only a white towel. His hair was down and still wet from the shower he'd apparently been taking.
"Sakura," he said, looking at her. Surprise flitted quickly through his eyes, before it disappeared into the cool iciness that was the norm in Sasuke's eyes.
Sakura's breath left her lungs as she took in the state he was in. Her heart sped up in her chest and, for a second, she felt as if she was twelve and love struck all over again. She could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks and it took monumental effort to fight it off. She wasn't twelve anymore and she'd be dammed if she'd act like it.
"I'd like to talk to you, if that's okay," Sakura said, glad that her voice was steady. "I also brought dinner, if you're hungry," Sakura added, and held up the containers she carried.
Sasuke examined her for a moment longer, before finally stepping back and opening the door wider so that Sakura could enter the house. Sakura stepped carefully past him and quickly avoided her eyes. She'd noticed both the scars littered across Sasuke's chest and the seal branded into his bicep, and didn't want him to think that she was gawking at him.
"I don't have much furniture," Sasuke said as he closed the door behind her, "but the table in the kitchen is still usable, if you want to talk in there."
He led her past the nearly empty main room and into the small, but clean kitchen.
"I'm going to finish getting dressed," Sasuke said and left her in the kitchen.
Sakura set the food she'd brought down on the table and noticed that her hands were shaking slightly. She took a couple of deep breaths and let her eyes wonder around the kitchen. This was the first time she'd entered Sasuke's house, and a part of her still couldn't believe that he'd actually let her in. The cold and detached attitude Sasuke had greeted her with shouldn't surprise her after all of the years she'd known him, but as much as she hated to admit, it still hurt. Shaking her head, Sakura dismissed the sting and got to work getting everything set up for dinner.
When Sasuke returned to the kitchen, he was dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a white shirt. As he crossed the threshold into the room, Sakura couldn't help a small shudder as a battle a year and a half ago suddenly flashed into her mind, and Sasuke's calm was momentarily replaced with Orochimaru's maliciousness. Sasuke noticed it, because his eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened.
"Does it bother you?" Sasuke asked, fingering a strand of hair that had fallen over his shoulder.
Sakura briefly contemplating lying to him, but decided that if she wanted truthful answers to her questions, she should give truthful answers to his.
"Yes, a little bit," Sakura finally said.
Sasuke nodded, as if he'd expected the answer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather tie, and then quickly put his hair up in a ponytail.
"It bothered Naruto as well," Sasuke added, with a trace of bitterness in his voice.
Although tempted to ask what he meant, Sakura had learned over her years in Team 7 not to get involved in Sasuke and Naruto's arguments. They'd always managed to work through their difficulties, and she had no doubt that they'd do the same now. Instead, Sakura pointed to the table where she'd laid out the food she'd warmed up.
"Everything is ready," she said and settled herself in front of the first place setting. Sasuke did the same, taking the place across from Sakura.
Sakura had laid out the food and serving utensils so that each of them could get the food they wanted. She could have served the meal, and if she'd been with Naruto she would have, but she didn't want Sasuke to think that she was being too familiar. She let Sasuke serve himself first, before she took a little bit of the fish, vegetables and rice she'd brought. She was too nervous to eat, but it would look bad if she didn't eat her own food.
"How are you feeling, Sasuke? Are your injuries healed?" Sakura asked.
"I'm fine," he said. "The lingering effects of the battle have disappeared."
"How are you getting along here?" she tried again. "The house looks like you've done quite a bit of work on it."
Sasuke nodded. "It'll take time and patience to get it into decent shape again, but it's worth the effort."
With that, the conversation died. They ate in silence for a while after that, until Sasuke unexpectedly broke it.
"You're a very good cook, Sakura," Sasuke said. "The food is delicious."
For the second time that night, Sakura fought the urge to blush. "Thank you," she said, miraculously keeping her voice steady. "My mother taught me."
Silence reigned over them once again. Sakura picked at her food and even managed to eat a little bit. Sasuke had served himself a small portion of what she'd brought, and she was glad to notice that he had almost finished it.
"There's plenty of food if you want more," Sakura said.
Sasuke looked down at his plate and then at hers. He set his chopsticks down and fixed her with a steady gaze. "You're not eating much," he said.
"I…" Sakura trailed off, the excuse dying on her lips as Sasuke's dark eyes bore into her.
"You said you wanted to talk," Sasuke said. "Now would be a good time to start, don't you think?"
Sakura took a deep breath and decided that it was indeed a good time to start. "Did you ever feel anything for me?" she blurted out.
Sasuke's eyes widened for a moment, and Sakura could feel his defenses immediately going up. The rise in his chakra was a good indication that he felt threatened, and she had to work to keep hers from reacting in the same manner. When Sasuke had reined his chakra in, and his face had lost the trace of surprise that the question had caused, he opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Sasuke frowned, as if searching for words, which Sakura found amusing despite the circumstances. She'd never seen Sasuke at a loss for words before. When he finally spoke, Sasuke's voice was soft and barely audible.
"I didn't have time for childish things like that," he said. "I couldn't think past what I thought I had to do."
The words cut deep, even though she'd been expecting no other answer. Sasuke's voice was no longer detached, however. For the first time since she could remember, she heard a small trace of regret in that deep voice.
"What was I to you?" Sakura asked, her voice a loud contrast to Sasuke's. "When you left Konoha, I bared my soul to you, but all you said was that I really was annoying. Was that all you ever thought of me?"
Sakura felt the sting of tears in her eyes but she blinked it away. She'd cried in front of Sasuke one too many times already and she was not about to do the same again. She'd come to put this behind her once and for all, and getting emotional and irrational wasn't going to help her.
"No, that's not all I ever thought," Sasuke replied. "That's what I told you to get you to go away."
Sakura was caught off guard by the response. "What?"
Sasuke shrugged. "You were annoying and Naruto was a moron. All I wanted back then was to be left alone, but you two wouldn't go away. You especially, you'd always be around, pestering me."
Sasuke paused, but Sakura remained quiet. She could tell that Sasuke was not finished yet.
"Working with you on Team 7 was exasperating at first, because all you'd see when you looked at me was what everyone in the village saw: the heir to the Uchiha bloodline." Sasuke paused again and took a sip of the tea she'd made for them. "As time went on, I began to realize that you were a strong and determined ninja. You proved yourself to be dependable and powerful, and I respected that."
"Then why did you treat me as you did?" Sakura said. "If you respected me, why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I wanted to be left alone," Sasuke said. "I knew I'd leave eventually to pursue what I saw as my destiny and didn't want to leave baggage behind."
Sakura stared at Sasuke, stunned at what he'd just told her. It made a twisted kind of sense once she looked back at everything that had happened since she was assigned to Team 7.
"You still haven't answered my first question, Sasuke," Sakura said.
Sasuke got up and began to clear the table. His back was to her when he finally replied.
"You were my teammate, Sakura, nothing more."
Sakura nodded at the answer, even though he couldn't see her. She felt almost relieved at his words. Not that she'd expected another answer, but she felt as if years of wondering what might have been had he stayed were finally put to rest now that everything was finally out in the open. She got up and went to him, gently placing her hands on his shoulders to turn him around so that he could face her.
"I loved you with all of my heart back then," Sakura said. "I was young and foolish and didn't have the slightest idea of what love was. I love you now, but as a dear friend. I'm glad you're back, Sasuke."
Sasuke gave her a small, ghost of a smile, which made her grin. It had been way too long since she'd seen him smile.
"Well, it's late and I'm sure you want to get to sleep. I'll be on my way," Sakura added, not wishing to ruin the tentative first steps they'd just taken into what she hoped would turn into a lifelong friendship. She smiled again, feeling a lot less weighed down than she had when she first got to Sasuke's house.
"Wait, let me get these together for you," Sasuke said, putting the lids on the still full containers of food she'd brought.
"Keep those," Sakura said. "I figured you wouldn't have much food here, so maybe that'll feed you for a little bit. You can return the containers to me later. It'll give you an excuse to come to my house."
Sasuke nodded at the gesture and then walked her to the door.
"For what it's worth," Sasuke said as she stepped out into the moonlight, "I am sorry for the pain I've caused you, Sakura."
Sakura turned and was surprised to see Sasuke's unguarded face for the first time in many, many years. "I know," Sakura said. "Have a good night, Sasuke."
With that, she took to the nearest roof and made her way home.
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Sasuke watched Sakura go and breathed a sigh of relief when she'd finally gotten out of sight. He hadn't expected her visit and certainly hadn't expected that she'd be the one to bring up the many unresolved issues that remained between them. Sasuke had never quite understood when or why Sakura had developed such intense feelings for him and hadn't known what to do with them. Sakura's devotion and admiration for him, more than that of the other girls in their class, had not only annoyed him but they had also worried him. He didn't want her to feel anything for him, because he knew that he couldn't get involved with anyone in Konoha. He existed for only one reason and had known that if anyone else got involved with him, they'd end up hurt, just like his family had been. He'd hurt Sakura deeply when he'd left, but at least he'd left her still alive to hurt. She might not have understood that at the time, but Sasuke now knew that Sakura had come to terms with it in the six years since.
Now that she'd gotten her feelings out in the open for the second time, and now that Sasuke had actually listened to and acknowledged them, he felt as if they'd finally put the baggage between them to rest and could finally coexist: she without the pain of rejection and he with a bit less guilt about the pain he'd caused her.
Sasuke made his way back to the kitchen, cleaned up and stored the food Sakura had brought. She had been right to assume that he had no food, and what she'd brought him would take the worry of acquiring food off his mind for a few days. The prospect of employment, which Naruto had left him with earlier, was encouraging. Sasuke had a feeling, however, that as soon as the shop's owner realized who Naruto had sent over, he'd turn Sasuke away like every other shop had that day. Sasuke shrugged. He had nothing to lose by showing up and giving it a try.
When he was finished cleaning the kitchen, Sasuke headed for his bedroom to get ready for bed. Once there he opened the sliding door that led to the balcony and stared out into the night. When he had been a member of Team 7, he'd paid little attention to either his teacher or his teammates. They'd been a necessary burden and all he'd bothered to do was tolerate them and bide his time until he could undertake his real purpose. Naruto had somehow managed to get under his skin and form a deeper bond, which had almost gotten the blonde killed. Sasuke hadn't wanted friends or a mentor, but it looked like he'd gotten just that, if what Kakashi and Naruto had said to him earlier, and what Sakura had just said, was any indication.
Shaking his head at the tenacity of the people he was surrounded with, Sasuke closed the door and made his way to the bed. When he had stripped down to his shorts, he pulled the covers back and immediately dropped them when he noticed the six hissing snakes in the middle of his bed. He jumped back as one launched itself at him, only to bounce back onto the bed when it hit the invisible barrier that was keeping them from slithering off the bed. An additional snake had been pierced with a kunai, leaving a mess of blood and guts on his bed. There was a note stuck to the kunai, which Sasuke immediately reached for.
Traitor. Leave and go back to where you came from.
The note was written in red, and it didn't take Sasuke long to realize that the dead snake's blood had been used as ink. Sasuke crushed the note in his right hand, his heart still pounding from the shock of the unexpected 'gift'. The snakes were harmless and had been left behind to scare him, not to cause any damage, so Sasuke picked them up all at once. As soon as they were in his hands, they calmed considerably; a couple of them even slithered up his arm until they were resting across his shoulders. Sasuke stepped out onto the balcony and coaxed the living snakes off of him, and then tossed the dead one still impaled on the kunai onto the backyard. He jumped onto the roof without bothering to dress and scanned the surroundings for foreign chakra. He didn't find anything. He could feel slight traces of Naruto's chakra, since the blonde had spent a considerable amount of time on the roof, but Sasuke doubted that Naruto would break into his house to leave snakes on his bed.
Whoever had done it probably waited until Sasuke had left early that morning before they entered the house. They had to have left traces of their activities, which prompted Sasuke to get off the roof and walk the perimeter of the house to check for the place of entry. After a thorough search of the grounds, he found nothing out of place and no chakra residue. The people responsible for that little 'gift' were very skilled and most likely jounin level ninja or higher to have left absolutely no trace.
Sasuke sighed in resignation. There was nothing he could do about it, not without having witnessed the break in. Even if he had witnessed it, Sasuke doubted that he would have been able to do anything short of ordering the person off his property. Telling the Hokage would accomplish nothing, so Sasuke decided to keep this incident to himself. If they tried again, he'd just make sure to be ready to catch them.
The thought of someone inside the house, however, made Sasuke's blood boil, and not just because of what they'd done. What else had they done while they were inside? Had they poked around and looked into the other bedrooms? Had they gone into the dojo that he, himself, hadn't been in since the night his parents had been killed? Had they left snakes, or anything a little more destructive, anywhere else in the house?
Sasuke jumped back into his room and proceeded to check every inch of the house for any other surprises.
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YukioIsamu surveyed the small squad he'd brought with him across the sea and into the heart of Fire Country. They all wore long, black cloaks, so Yukio was unable to see his companion's faces, but he'd known them all of their lives and would place his life in their hands with no hesitation. Ogawa Kenji was a master of genjutsu and had been one of the few ninja that Yukio had trained. Tokei Mai was an older ninja, but she'd been working in the ANBU from a very young age and there was no one in Kirigakure that could match her in taijutsu. Their combined skills, along with a special little something Yukio closely guarded, would ensure that they would take down Konoha's demon.
They stood just outside the South wall of Konoha, near a deserted part of the village that had once housed Konoha's most powerful clans. Kenji had weaved a genjutsu that rendered them invisible to anyone on guard on the wall, which would allow them to enter quietly. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a map of the village that had been given to them by Orochimaru when Oto's leader had met with them.
"This is where we are," Yukio said, pointing to the black X on the map that signified the position where they would infiltrate, "and this is where we're going," he continued, pointing to the red X marked not far from where they were. "The plan is simple: we enter the village, find the demon, kill him, and then leave. If we are caught, we know what to do, correct?"
Kenji and Mai both nodded. Yukio couldn't see their faces because of the cloaks, but he knew that his own determination would be mirrored in their eyes. They would succeed, or die trying.
"Let's move out," he said and entered Konoha.
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"You didn't really think I'd make this easy for you, did you Naruto-kun?"
Naruto was too busy working to regain his breath and not choke on the blood coming up the back of his throat to spare Orochimaru a response. He didn't have much time left; he'd exhausted his chakra long ago, and the fox's chakra was quickly diminishing as well. If Orochimaru managed another hit or two, he'd be dead.
"Have you wondered, Naruto-kun, if Sasuke completed his self-appointed mission?"
Naruto spit a mouthful of blood and glared at the man grinning in front of him. Orochimaru was bleeding in several places, but none of the injuries had been enough to do any serious damage. Orochimaru seemed almost invigorated despite the battle that was taking place.
"I have a feeling that you're going to tell me whether I want to hear it or not," Naruto finally said.
Orochimaru's grin grew, making Sasuke's face twist grotesquely. "You're absolutely right, Naruto. I would hate for you to die without knowing if Sasuke had achieved his goal. After all, he sacrificed everything, including his friendship with you, to gain enough power to kill his brother. Uchiha Itachi was…"
Orochimaru's words were drowned out as a scream tore itself from Naruto's throat. He doubled over, his hands over his stomach, where he could feel his seal glowing intensely. Pain ripped through him as the fox fought him for control. Orochimaru had attempted to perform the Five Elements Seal on him again, the same one that the snake had put on him during his first Chunin exam, which prevented the fox's chakra to mix with his. Naruto hadn't let him complete the process, but Orochimaru had managed to inflict some damage and the fox was taking advantage of that weakness. Naruto's senses were dulled to anything but the pain, and when it receded slightly and he'd been able to maintain his sanity and control of his body, he barely managed to catch Orochimaru's movement as the man came at him, sword in hand. He wasn't able to move fast enough, and Orochimaru's sword pierced his stomach just above the seal.
"You are a foolish, little boy."
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Naruto's eyes snapped open to the sound of his harsh breathing. He was cold and reached out for his comforter, but cursed when he realized that he'd probably kicked it off the bed again. He sat up and rubbed his arms to fight the chills that ran through him. When would he stop having these nightmares? It wasn't the same every night: he'd dream about the battle with Orochimaru one day, the battle with Kabuto the next, and then the deaths of the villagers the day after that. It was constant carnage made worse by the fact that Naruto knew he'd been the cause of all the death and destruction. His mind couldn't rest, and it was taking a physical toll on him as well. It was probably for the best that Tsunade had suspended him, because he doubted that he was in any shape to take on a mission.
The spike of foreign chakra alerted him to dive for cover seconds before a kunai sailed past the spot where his head had just been. Naruto slipped off the bed and onto the floor beside it as he reached out with his senses to determine how many intruders he was facing. He felt two foreign signatures, one by the door to his bedroom, and the sound of his window breaking alerted him to the presence of the other. They had him cornered between his bed and the wall, so he'd just have to buy himself a little time.
He formed the appropriate seal and muttered "Shadow Clone Technique."
Two clones immediately popped into existence and got to work on the two ninja. As the clones provided him with a cover, Naruto scrambled to the dresser where he kept his spare weapons. His pack and uniform were out of reach, so the few weapons he kept as spares would have to do. He formed a few more seals and induced a simple illusion to further distract his opponents. He was surprised when the illusion was immediately countered. One of the ninja was apparently an expert in genjutsu, so he'd have to be extra careful so as not to get trapped in one of their illusions.
He heard the clones pop out of existence and knew that his time had run out. He pulled four kunai out of the drawer he'd opened and then quickly replaced himself with the comforter he'd been looking for earlier and teleported himself behind the opponent closest to him. As the man attacked his bedding, Naruto threw two of the kunai at him. They were easily deflected, which Naruto had expected. One kunai was perfectly deflected into the top drawer of the dresser, where he stored the few explosive notes he kept. Naruto formed another seal.
"Exploding Tag: Activate," he said and the notes exploded.
The ninja was thrown across the room and into the opposite wall where, as Naruto could see now that the cloak had come off the ninja's face, she lay still. Naruto didn't know whether the woman was dead or alive, but he didn't have time to worry about it as the other ninja came at him with a wicked looking sword. Naruto dove into his open closet, where he stored his gear, and managed to find his own sword, which had been a gift from Jiraiya for his eighteenth birthday. He unsheathed it and met the man's downward sweep before the blade could cut him in half. Naruto then used his speed to get behind the ninja and strike. He managed to pierce the man's left side before he was thrown back by a very powerful blast of chakra.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked as he scrambled to get to his feet, his sword lost somewhere in the bedding that littered the floor, "what do you want?"
The man came at Naruto with the sword once again. Naruto had no time to look for his weapon, and the bedroom was too small for a fight of this nature, so Naruto infused chakra into his feet and used the wall to get past the ninja. He launched himself off the wall and out of the room, but before he could make it into the living area he was stopped by a third ninja, one he hadn't sensed. The shock of this discovery was enough to stop him for a moment, which gave the man in the bedroom enough time to catch up to him and slash the sword across his back, from left shoulder to right hip. Naruto hissed at the burning pain, which was enough to break his momentary paralysis.
He ducked under the third ninja's attack and kicked at the man's knees, which sent him onto the floor. The ninja's cloak fell away from his face and Naruto found hard, angry eyes glaring at him. The ninja brought his hands up in a very familiar group of seals and before Naruto could form his own to counteract the illusion, he was trapped in it. His apartment disappeared and he found himself standing on a misty beach. The scene reminded him of the fight with Zabuza and Haku during the mission with Tazuna, which revealed the ninja's allegiance to Naruto. He and Shikamaru had recently speculated over the reports the ANBU had heard about Kirigakure's suspected plans, and if Naruto made it out of this alive, they'd have proof that Kirigakure's intentions were not friendly.
Naruto formed the seals that would release the illusion, but was unable to get out of it. Instead, the mist became thicker, heavier, and his vision started to blur.
"Show yourself," Naruto yelled into the mist, but he couldn't see or hear anything. "Don't hide like a coward, come out and fight!"
A sharp pain on his calf made Naruto yelp, and he looked down to find a very brown and very large snake wrapped around his ankle. The snake's head turned from where it had just bitten him and Naruto could have sworn that he saw it smile.
"Try releasing the illusion one more time," it said, to Naruto's surprise.
Naruto continued to stare at the snake, unsure of whether it was part of the illusion or something else. The snake tightened its body around Naruto's ankle, which sent pain shooting up his leg.
"Kid, if you just stand there, the chemicals that the man who wove this illusion is expelling are going to knock you unconscious before you can break free," the snake said. "The venom I just injected into you will help, but not if you keep standing there."
"Why should I believe you?" Naruto asked the snake.
"Because Sasuke sent me," the snake said.
That was not what Naruto had expected to hear, but in these circumstances, it was enough. He formed the necessary seals.
"Release."
The mist immediately cleared and he found himself back at his apartment. The ninja that had cast the illusion had drawn his own sword and was holding it to Naruto's throat, while the man he'd left behind in his bedroom had come into the living room holding the bleeding wound at his side.
"You killed Mai, you monster," the man said as he got closer to Naruto. "You will die for that."
This ninja's face was now visible, and Naruto could see hatred in the man's eyes similar to what he still saw in the villager's eyes, and had no doubt that the man knew about the fox sealed inside of him. Something moved on Naruto's leg and he let his eyes travel down to see that the snake was still wrapped around his leg. Both ninja noticed it as well and seemed momentarily surprised at its presence.
Naruto used the surprise to his advantage. He grabbed the arm holding the sword at his throat and fell backwards. He braced his left foot against the junction of the ninja's arm and shoulder to keep the sword from impaling him as they fell. Naruto let the kunai he'd hidden in his sleeve slide into his open palm and threw them at the other ninja. One managed to hit the man on the shoulder, but it was not enough to incapacitate him. Naruto hit the floor on his back, which brought a rush of pain from the earlier sword wound. He threw the ninja he'd brought down with him over his head, and Naruto heard the man land on the table in the kitchen. Naruto scrambled to his feet and was halfway turned towards the man in the kitchen when his body froze.
The man didn't seem surprised by this turn of events at all. He picked up the sword he'd dropped in the scuffle and would have slit Naruto's throat if a kunai hadn't lodged itself in his throat and sent him crashing into the nearest wall. Naruto blinked stupidly at the spot where the man had recently been and tried to figure out who had thrown the kunai. He didn't have to wonder long as the ninja behind him spoke.
"Lord Orochimaru," the man said, fear clearly evident in his voice, "I didn't know you'd be here."
The snake wrapped around Naruto's lower leg bit him again, and the rush of pain was enough to break whatever had paralyzed him. Naruto turned to find Sasuke standing by the front door, glaring at the only remaining ninja, who had dropped into a deep bow in front of Sasuke. Naruto shuddered at the killing intent radiating off of his friend.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.
Sasuke stepped fully into the apartment and stopped right in front of the ninja's bowed head. The man was radiating fear, which was a sharp contrast to the hatred he'd been exhibiting during the fight with Naruto. The ninja kept his forehead against the floor, which caused his voice to be slightly muffled.
"We're following the plan, Lord Orochimaru," the man said. "We've done just as you instructed; we've come to kill the monster." The man paused momentarily, as if weighing whether or not he should continue speaking. "I was not informed that you would be here to greet us," the man added.
Sasuke's chakra rose dangerously, and Naruto was sure that the ninja could feel it as well, if the slight shudder that went through him was any indication. Sasuke briefly disappeared from Naruto's view, and when he reappeared, he'd pulled the man to his feet and had him by the throat.
"What did you come here to accomplish?" Sasuke asked the now terrified ninja.
"You told us that if we killed Konoha's monster, we'd have less opposition when we finally invaded. Do you not remember that, Lord?"
Something flittered across Sasuke's eyes, which made them widen for a fraction of a second. Naruto doubted that the ninja noticed it, but he'd known Sasuke a lot longer and could tell that the man's words had sparked something in Sasuke's memory. Sasuke squeezed the ninja's throat even more and Naruto was about to yell at him to not kill the man, but Sasuke's eyes turned to him and effectively silenced him.
"When is the invasion?" Sasuke asked. "Where is your army? Are you three the only ones here?"
The man's mouth opened and closed as he gasped for air. Naruto had every intention of going up to Sasuke and forcing him to let go of the ninja, but his body had other ideas. He was suddenly light headed and could not stay on his feet. Naruto collapsed and landed on his side, his entire body going numb, with the exception of the burning pain across his back. The snake slithered up Naruto's body until it had coiled around the arm that had landed in front of him.
"You better hurry, this one's in trouble," the snake said to Sasuke.
"It's already started," the ninja said when Sasuke loosened his grip on the man's throat. "The poison is already spreading and he will soon be dead as you desired, Lord Orochimaru."
Sasuke squeezed the back of the ninja's neck and the man dropped to the floor. Naruto wanted to ask if the man was dead, but found that he couldn't speak. Sasuke kneeled in front of Naruto and held out his hand for the snake to leave Naruto and coil around his arm instead.
"Go get Tsunade. Tell her to bring everything she has on poisons, and any of the Yakushi research she can find, because she'll need an antidote fast," Sasuke told the snake. The snake turned its head to look at Naruto once more and then disappeared.
Sasuke carefully examined Naruto until he came upon the wound on his back.
"There isn't much time, Naruto," Sasuke said, and Naruto could see Sasuke's jaw clenching and unclenching. "The ninja's blade was laced with a poison that was made for you by Kabuto, on orders from Orochimaru. Orochimaru gave it to the Mizukage when he learned that Kirigakure was planning to invade Konoha. The venom of the snake I sent to you partially fights the effects, but it's not enough."
Sasuke's cold mask cracked a little, and for a moment, Naruto thought that he could see concern on the Uchiha's face. The numbness he'd felt wore off and Naruto was left shaking with uncontrollable chills. Sasuke went to the couch and pulled off the blanket Naruto kept there and wrapped Naruto tightly in it. He then sat on the floor against the wall and pulled Naruto into his lap. Sasuke also rubbed his hands against the blanket to generate a bit more heat.
"You need to stay awake, Naruto, do you understand me?" Sasuke said. "You need to mold as much chakra as you can. The poison is designed to render you unable to tap into the fox's chakra and then destroy your chakra pathways. If chakra is actively flowing through them, it will delay the process."
Mold chakra? Are you out of your mind? Naruto thought. I can barely breathe.
He did as instructed, however, and found that the little chakra he was able to mold left a little bit of warmth behind, but it also left him tired. Soon, his vision began to blur and his eyes started to close.
"Don't give in, Naruto. Fight it, damn it!" Sasuke said, eerily echoing Naruto's words to him when trying to get Sasuke to fight Orochimaru's influence, though he doubted that Sasuke actually remembered hearing them.
Naruto wished that he could comply with his friend's instructions, but he could not stay awake any longer. With one last look at his friend's now fearful, black eyes, Naruto gave in to the black void that beckoned him.
&&&&
"Damn it!" Sasuke yelled to the empty living room as soon as Naruto lost his battle to stay conscious.
Naruto's chakra was getting progressively more unstable, and all Sasuke could do was watch Naruto's trembling body and try to keep him as warm as possible. If Orochimaru had made the poison himself, Sasuke would have been able to create an antidote from memory. Since Kabuto had made it, and Kabuto was currently not present for Sasuke to force an antidote out of him, there was nothing he could do. He only hoped that Tsunade would get here before it was too late.
He didn't have to wait too long before Tsunade rushed into the apartment with Shizune and Jiraiya in tow. As soon as she saw Naruto, she pulled him out of Sasuke's lap and took him to the couch.
"Check the wound on his back," Sasuke said as he got to his feet. "The blade that inflicted the damage was laced with poison."
Tsunade pulled Naruto's ripped shirt off of him, turned him onto his stomach, and had to rip the waistband of his shorts in order to get a good look at the entire wound. It was deep and still openly bleeding, and extended from the tip of Naruto's left shoulder to the middle of his right hip.
"Where is the sword that did this?" Tsunade asked.
Sasuke pointed to the sword lying by Shizune's feet. "I think it was that one."
Shizune picked it up by the hilt and took it, and the books and scrolls she'd brought, to the kitchen counter.
"The snake said to bring any Yakushi research I could find," Shizune asked. "I take it Kabuto was involved in the creation of this poison?"
Sasuke nodded.
"We'll talk about the fact that you're not supposed to perform any summons later," Tsunade muttered from where she was working on Naruto.
Sasuke, who was already on edge from his rude awakening by the ninja's chakra as they passed through the Uchiha neighborhood, his rush to get here, and his confrontation with the ninja he'd killed, did not bother to hold his tongue or dampen his chakra.
"What did you want me to do, leave Naruto here to die while I went to look for you myself? I don't even know where you live," Sasuke said.
"Easy," Jiraiya said and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke moved to get the hand off of him, but Jiraiya held him in place.
A pop beside Sasuke drew everyone's attention as the snake he'd sent after Tsunade returned. It crawled its way to Sasuke and slithered up his leg until its head was resting against Sasuke's hip.
"That's creepy," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, but Sasuke heard him perfectly well.
"The snake's venom delays the poison, but only for a little bit. You'll need a sample of it for the antidote," Sasuke said.
"Shizune," was all Tsunade said, and her assistant moved forward to take the snake from Sasuke and take it back to where she'd put all her equipment.
"Cooperate with her," Sasuke told the snake as he let it slither onto Shizune's arm. The snake hissed once, causing Shizune to gasp.
"These people are pathetic," the snake said. "I don't know why you bother with them, Sasuke."
Sasuke ignored the snake and turned instead to Jiraiya. "You can let go of me now. I'm not going to attack the Hokage."
"You're radiating plenty of killing intent and I don't want to take any chances," Jiraiya replied.
"You're being stupid, Jiraiya," Sasuke insisted. "What good can it possibly do me to kill the Hokage?"
Jiraiya ignored him.
"Sasuke, would you mind telling me why I was awakened in the middle of the night by a snake that demanded I get to Naruto as soon as possible?" Tsunade asked, not taking her eyes off Naruto.
"Three ninja from Kirigakure were sent here to kill Naruto," Sasuke began. "I felt their presence as they were making their way out of the Uchiha neighborhood. I didn't want to waste time so I sent the snake to Naruto, because I knew it'd help. When I got here, Naruto had already killed one ninja, injured another, and was in the process of disabling the third. He'd already been exposed to the poison and it rendered him immobile for a moment. I had to kill the ninja he'd been fighting so that the man wouldn't kill Naruto. I knocked the other ninja out, so you'll be able to interrogate him. You should do it fast, before he kills himself."
"Kills himself?" Tsunade asked.
Sasuke nodded. "That's what they're instructed to do if they're captured."
"How do they kill themselves?" Jiraiya asked.
"Poison," Sasuke replied. "It's injected into their veins before they leave on their mission and is activated through a special set of seals."
"So we can keep him from activating it if we keep him from forming seals?" Jiraiya asked.
Sasuke shrugged. "That would be my assumption."
The room fell into silence, except for the sound of Shizune leafing through her books and scrolls.
"Poison alone isn't enough to work on Naruto, because the fox's chakra immediately counters it," Jiraiya said as if suddenly remembering that fact.
"Orochimaru had this poison made especially for Naruto and gave it to Kirigakure for them to use against Konoha."
"You knew that Kirigakure was planning to attack Konoha and yet you didn't warn us?" Jiraiya asked, turning Sasuke around so that they faced each other.
"When I walked into the apartment, that ninja," Sasuke pointed at the unconscious man, "thought I was Orochimaru, and that made him very talkative. The conversation triggered the memory of Orochimaru's visit to Kirigakure. Despite what most of the people of this village, including those in this apartment, believe, I was not privy to Orochimaru's every scheme," Sasuke added, unable to completely keep the bitterness out of his voice.
Shizune broke the tension between the two men when she stepped in front of Sasuke and handed him back the snake.
"I've done what I can here, but I need to go back to my lab to do the rest."
They were interrupted as the three ANBU that had been assigned to Sasuke stepped into the room.
"Where were you three?" Tsunade asked as she turned to face them. "Weren't you supposed to be tailing Uchiha?"
The ANBU closest to the Hokage bowed. "I'm sorry, Hokage, but we didn't detect him when he left the house. By the time we realized he'd left, we knew where he'd gone and came straight here."
Tsunade turned furious eyes to Sasuke, who merely shrugged. "I didn't want the foreign ninja to sense my chakra," he said. If the ANBU were too stupid to do their jobs, it certainly wasn't his fault.
"I'll deal with you three later," she said to the ANBU and then picked up Naruto. "For now, there are two dead ninja and one that needs to be taken to be interrogated. Make sure to bind his hands so he can't form any seals," the Hokage added as she pointed to the unconscious man. "Jiraiya, pick up Shizune's equipment and bring it with you. Sasuke, go home. I'll send more ANBU to replace these three."
Sasuke shook his head. "I'm going with you," he said.
"You've already provided me with the information I need. If you come with us, you'd only be in the way," Tsunade said.
"I'm not going to leave him," Sasuke insisted.
Tsunade glared at him for almost a minute, before she sighed in resignation.
"Fine, but stay out of the way or I'll have Jiraiya drag you home," she said, and they left the apartment together.
Sasuke was halfway to the hospital when a thought occurred to him and he stopped, letting the three elder ninja leave him behind. Sakura would want to know what happened. Sasuke didn't know where she lived, but he was pretty sure that he could find her chakra if he concentrated enough. He made his way to where she used to live and started the search from there. A few minutes later, he was standing in front of a modest house located very close to her former home. He hopped onto the roof and walked towards the back, where her chakra was strongest. He jumped down onto a balcony and knocked on the sliding glass door.
The curtains over the door were drawn, so he couldn't see inside, but he felt the spike in her chakra when she woke up and heard her footsteps as she came to the door.
"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" she asked.
She'd been sleeping, as evident by her messy hair and the red nightgown she wore. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and then pierced him with a concerned look.
"Naruto was attacked in his apartment earlier tonight," Sasuke said without preamble. "The Hokage has taken him to the hospital."
Sakura's eyes widened fearfully. "What happened?" she asked. "Is he okay?"
"I'll tell you on the way," Sasuke replied. "I'll wait by the front door while you get dressed."
Sakura nodded and Sasuke jumped off the balcony and walked to the front of the house. He didn't have to wait long for Sakura to come out of the house fully dressed. They took to the roofs and by the time they got to the hospital, Sasuke had filled her in.
"Where is Shizune's lab?" Sasuke asked. "I'm fairly sure that's where they took Naruto."
"Follow me," Sakura said and led Sasuke to the top floor, to an area that was blocked off from the rest of the hospital and guarded. The guards on duty waved them in, apparently expecting them.
"This poison, you said that it's attacking Naruto's chakra pathways?" Sakura asked as they rounded a corner.
"Yes, it's the only way to effectively poison him." Sasuke said.
Sakura shook her head and Sasuke could see tears in her eyes. "Why?" she asked no one in particular. "Why Naruto?"
"He's powerful and they know it," Sasuke answered her anyway.
They reached the door at the end of the hallway and Sakura held the door open for him to enter first. Inside was another set of doors, which Sakura also held open for him.
"Naruto is probably in there," Sakura said, pointing to a door to his left. "Shizune's lab is over there," she added, pointing to a door on his right. "I'm going to see if I can help Shizune."
Sasuke nodded and watched Sakura go. Once the door had closed behind her, he made his way to the other room. Inside, he found Naruto lying on the floor, on his stomach, surrounded by seals, a lot of which Sasuke couldn't make sense of. Tsunade sat with Naruto in front of her. Her hands, which she held above Naruto, bathed him in a green glow, and Sasuke could see Naruto's body still trembling and his face would twist in pain every once in a while. The wound on Naruto's back was still open, leaving the floor underneath him red with blood.
"Why won't the wound close?" Sasuke asked as he made his way towards the Hokage.
"Naruto's chakra pathways are out of control," Tsunade said. "The fox's chakra, which would normally induce Naruto's cells to multiply faster in order to close and heal the wound, is having the opposite effect and is keeping Naruto's body from healing the wound. I can't even force it closed with my chakra."
Sasuke had only known the Hokage for a short period of time and could not remember ever having seen her as frightened as he saw her now. Unbidden, an image of a much younger Tsunade, drenched after coming in from the rain, tears streaming down her face as she looked down at the body of what had been her little brother, while Jiraiya tried his best to comfort her, came into Sasuke's mind. Sound followed the image, and he could hear Orochimaru telling her that they were at war, and that death was inevitable for a ninja.
"Uchiha, are you okay?"
The Hokage's question thankfully pulled Sasuke away from the memory.
"I brought Sakura," Sasuke said in answer to the Hokage's question, "she's with Shizune."
Tsunade nodded. "Good. She'll be a big help."
"Is there anything I can do?" Sasuke asked.
Tsunade glanced up at him. Their eyes met for a long moment as Tsunade apparently judged his motives. "You can lend me your chakra," she finally said. "I'm going to need a lot more than I have to keep Naruto from bleeding to death."
Sasuke nodded and made his way to sit on Naruto's other side. "Just tell me what to do."
&&&&
There you have it. Stay tuned for the next, exciting chapter, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out!