Chapter 17: Red deal

Shino couldn't do much to calm his nerves or his bugs. Both of them were tingling and buzzing as he eyed the two figures standing only a few feet in front of them. Neji was the one to find his tongue first.

"What are you doing Naruto? Who is this?" the hyuuga ignored the snort from the dead corpse. 'Corpses don't snort'. Naruto sighed before looking at the byakugan.

"I'm not doing anything wrong. And you be quiet." He said to Itachi's dead body as the thing, neji refused to believe it really was the Uchiha, snorted again at the blonde's words. "I'm on a mission."

"A mission." Shikamaru continued as neji seemed to be swallowing his tongue as he scanned the corpse again with the doujutsu. "How troublesome. You're getting married next week Naruto." He was interrupted by neji this time.

"It's not Naruto. It's a kage bunshin." Shikamaru snapped his head around to catch neji's face as it crumpled into apprehension. Apparently they were both following the somewhat same lines of thought. So did Naruto's bunshin it seemed.

"Boss is not betraying Tsunade." Shikamaru noticed the difference immediately. 'The hokage. Not the village.'

"Then what are you doing with him Naruto? Is it really.." Shino didn't seem to be able to finish the sentence, and Naruto seemed to be unable to answer it if his face was any indication. The silence stretched onto a while before the corpse, Shino refused to call it anything living, talked again; the deep baritone tones were still Uchiha Itachi's own voice.

"Why don't you human run along now. And do whatever humans do during their time. You live only so much and yet you still waste it on things that aren't even your own business. I am.."

"Don't!" it was the first time shikamaru had heard Naruto raise his voice after seeing him again. He stared at his friend's bunshin, scowling angrily at the corpse that was rolling its eyes. "Boss told you not to say anything!"

"Then let's get going. You're the one who said you had to get back before dark." It eyes the three shinobi again before smirking. "And I'll be seeing you again. For sure." Shikamaru couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through his body as the red eyes caught his own. Shikamaru was sure that those ominous words would come true, and it wouldn't be for anything good either.

Naruto also spared them a glance before smiling sheepishly and leaving after the figure. Shino was painfully reminded of the Naruto they had grown up with when he saw that smile again.

"We should get back too. It'll be dark soon. I don't want to travel tonight." The other two didn't say anything to contradict neji's words and followed silently as he took to the trees. "And we won't tell Tsunade-sama."

Aiko followed her soon-to-be-husband wordlessly through the trees. They had been invited to the ninja get together by sakura earlier. Sakura had insisted that Aiko be there since soon she'll be part of the konoha nine family too. Aiko wondered what it was even, Naruto never explained anything to her. Naruto was smiling again and Aiko hated that smile.

It was the smile Naruto always gave her and not like the smile he would give to the sannin. He would always smile differently when he was with the hokage or the gama sannin. Aiko had known enough people to see the difference between a fake smile and a true one. And she knew that Naruto had never given her a single true smile. Not like how he had smiled at her sister.

Aiko looked up at the orange and red hues settling over the village in sunset. She was reminded how beautiful fire country was, and how lucky she was to be married to Naruto. She didn't regret a single decision she had taken to make sure he would marry her, and not Yue. She looked at the man holding hands with her from the corner of her eyes. The blonde hair had turned into a golden color in the sunlight, his eyes were deeper because of how he shadowed his eyes from the glaring light. Aiko loved Naruto, and her love would be enough for both of them.

She mused to herself about the past as they walked through the trees overshadowing the stone pathway leading to the lake. She had been thirteen when Naruto had been found at the lord daimyo's gates, half dead with exhaustion and pain. Yue was seventeen back then, same age as Naruto. Naruto wasn't trusted but because of his headband he had been treated. Father had summoned him after that and father took him under his wing. It had been an unprecedented event and everyone had been shocked, especially when father asked for secrecy of Naruto's presence.

Aiko smiled at the children that passed her, playing some game of tag. 'The childhood I was never permitted to have.' She thought wryly. She was pulled back to her musings when she saw the lake. 'Yue was the first to meet Naruto', she remembered, 'and she charmed him right away. The mansion servants were talking about it three weeks after Yue met Naruto.'

She recalled her own disastrous meeting with the blonde. She had tripped on her feet when walking into the room and her hair had fallen off its bun when she had bowed to him. He had laughed it off and returned her greeting, talking to her almost nonstop and never letting her feel her shame.

'Father was always kind to him, everyone wondered about that too. It was later we found out who he was. Naruto's father had been a kind man and father said that he didn't regret appointing him as hokage,' the rippling surface of the lake dazzled when sunlight hit the small waves. 'Father didn't even object when Yue confessed her feelings. He gave them his consent instead. Naruto and Yue were so happy during those weeks, always laughing and chatting. And that was the first and last time I ever saw my sister genuinely happy.'

They were near the park the barbeque night was supposed to be at. Aiko could hear voices talking and shouting from the edge of the path. Sakura and Ino came to her first to greet and proceeded to drag her to where the other kunoichi were, saying something about some girls time. Aiko turned her head back to see that Naruto had walked over to where the men were. The children were enjoying playing at the edge of the lake, supervised as the ones introduced to her as Choji-san and Tenten-san.

Naruto had only sat down when Satoshi materialized at his elbow, stuttering a hello and asking his well being. Naruto smiled at the child, knowing he was what Sasuke had been at that age. 'Before the massacre, and before Itachi had chosen.' Sasuke followed Satoshi and sat down next to him, a mug of ale on his hand.

"Where have you been?" Naruto raised his eyebrow and didn't answer. "Satoshi's been asking for you. He's grown attached." Naruto felt a wry smile at that.

"You mean like you have Sasuke?"

The ever present scowl reappeared on Uchiha's face and Naruto took time to memorize the features so alike the ones gracing the rotting corpse that the monster had taken.

'How rude of you human. Calling me a monster. If I am one, then what would you call yourself?' Naruto ignored the words and refused to rise to the bait.

'Where's Kyuubi? I thought you were debating the pros and cons of immortality with him.'

'He's sleeping. Your fake body will kill itself soon. I will be where I was last. You must be here soon.'

'I will try. The wedding is getting in the way. I cannot move easily until it ends.'

'You will come, human.'

"Your wife seems to be enjoying herself." Naruto ignored the heat in the words and met the dark eyes. "You don't seem to be so happy yourself."

It brought back memories, to see the familiar smirk on sasuke's face. Sakura and him had grown up with Sasuke with the smirk and the scowl. The same expressions sakura and the other girls had gushed with feelings for.

"You just don't know me anymore, Sasuke."

With that Naruto got up from the table and moved to where Ino was shouting at him from. Aiko was blushing some feet away from the blonde kunoichi and just as Naruto reached Ino Aiko was thrown into his arms by Kiba. Naruto stumbled with the added weight before up righting himself with his arms around the blushing auburn haired girl.

Kiba and Ino then proceeded to yell for a kiss and almost everyone had joined in to see the future couple's proof of love, as Kiba called it. Naruto refused to sigh and cupped Aiko's face. Looking into silver-purple eyes that reminded him so much of the woman who had saved him, 'The one he had fallen in love with, when Sasuke had almost broken him,' he kissed her amidst cheers and words of well wishes. He didn't need to turn around to feel sasuke's rage and hurt or even hinata's own guilt and grief.

"So? What's your answer?"

"If I agree, I want your word for my father and kyuubi's freedom."

'I will give you my word child. A demon's word is for eternity. So you will do it then.'

Naruto turned his eyes at the peaking full moon. The woods were full of whispers of wind and creatures that walked in darkness. The demon was stronger on full moons. If he gave his word today, then it was a sure thing.

"Yes, I will do it when you have sworn the words."

'Fine fine then. I swear by my name and existence that I will free the souls of Namikaze Minato and Kyuubi from the shinigami's stomach. And in exchange Namikaze Naruto will give me what I seek."

He refused to meet the leering red eyes of the corpse and replied with the words that will seal his fate.

"In exchange for the freedom of my father's soul and kyuubi's partial soul from the shinigami's stomach I will give what the liberator seeks." He finally met the red gaze of the creature before naming it, "I will give my soul, to death." And Naruto saw the glee of the creature and felt nothing.

A/N- Reviews are wonderful things and a couple of words will make my day!