Chapter 19

As the last week of March arrived, a sudden warm front drifted into the atmosphere above Konoha. The southern air danced along the frozen ground, making fog rise like a thousand resurrected spirits in the streets. Despite the eerie weather and the slippery, melting snow, Naruto and Sasuke pressed on with their training schedule.

Their days were filled to the brim with activity, between their training sessions and the many visitors they received. Kakashi and Shikamaru seemed to come and go constantly, either to help with Sasuke's training or to simply sit and talk with them. After finally accepting Sasuke's challenge, Shikamaru had been over whenever he could to continue their seemingly endless tournament of shogi matches.

With unnerving swiftness, their month of freedom had passed and the time when Naruto had to resume his duties was upon them. They felt the press of time in their daily routine, cutting their morning meditation sessions short in favour of longer sparring matches. And today, on Naruto's final day of taken leave, their fight was especially heated. The ANBU guards watched from the trees, sometimes cheering or calling out encouragement as they watched the two famous shinobi spar.

After several weeks of slowly loosening the chakra seal, Sasuke had reached the level of power that he had possessed in his academy days. But this, when combined with his wealth of battle experience and intelligence, made him a worthy opponent for Naruto.

Sasuke's eyes flashed crimson as they tracked the blond, marking every one of his movements in search of openings. But Naruto was used to countering eye techniques, and knew Sasuke well enough to proceed cautiously. As a result, the two were at an impasse, neither willing to risk going for the 'kill'.

As they tore up the snow and soggy grass in the yard with their speed, Naruto suddenly laughed. His bright eyes flashed, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Great chakra control!" He encouraged, thrusting the heel of his hand towards Sasuke's chest. He laughed again when his partner neatly dodged, turning fluidly to aim a sweeping kick towards Naruto's feet.

"Of course," Sasuke replied breathlessly, gritting his teeth when Naruto easily avoided his attack, jumping and twisting midair to land behind him. "This is me we're talking about," He added before Naruto restrained him from behind, his iron grip ignorant to Sasuke's violent attempts to free himself.

Just as Sasuke was considering using a weak genjutsu to confuse the blond, a slowly approaching presence caught their attention. They turned their heads in unison, watching as Shikamaru slid open the back door and stepped out onto their porch. He waved lazily.

"Morning," He said, smirking slightly at Sasuke. "Looks like he beat you again, Uchiha."

"Watch that mouth of yours, Nara." Came the snarky reply. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he turned his head slightly, leveling Naruto with a poignant glare. "I plan on defeating him when he least expects it. I figure he's been acting a little too cocky lately."

"What was that?" Naruto screeched, tightening his grip on Sasuke as he lifted him easily. "If you keep saying you're going to attack me when I least expect it, then I'm going to start expecting it all the time, you know!"

"Let go of me, you idiot-blond!" Sasuke shouted, twisting in Naruto's arms to shove at his chest.

Shikamaru sighed loudly, rubbing his head. "When you two are finished flirting, I have a few things I need to talk with you about. It's kind of important."

Sasuke froze with his fist cranked back, prepared to deliver a solid punch right to Naruto's jaw. His feet dangling several inches from the ground, he dropped his hands to Naruto's shoulders as he grimaced. "You need to talk with me too?" He grumbled. "What for?"

"Well, firstly," The strategist replied monotonously, "I wanted to review our last shogi game again. I still think you cheated. And secondly, Ino's dad finished his analysis of her memories, so I'll need you to look at the information for me."

Naruto frowned as he lowered Sasuke to the ground. "How is Ino doing now, Shikamaru?" He asked earnestly. "I haven't seen her in a while."

The shadow-nin shrugged non-committedly. "She's better I guess, but still not completely over it. Her mood swings can be a bit troublesome, but that's nothing new I guess."

Laughing nervously in response, Naruto turned and waved to their masked guards. They nodded or saluted in response, melting away silently into the murky shadows of the trees. As soon as the ANBU disappeared, Naruto slowly followed Sasuke and Shikamaru into the house. He quickly toed off his sandals, stepping into the warm building and shutting the door.

Sasuke sighed as he retied his hair, pulling the red string which held the ink-black strands tightly. With that done, he lay out his palm in front of Shikamaru. "Alright, let's see what you've got for me." He said disinterestedly.

Shikamaru smirked. He procured a small stack of folded papers from his pocket, handing it over. "I've already given it a quick look." He said as Sasuke took the document. "From the looks of things, you were pretty much right about their method of possession. Luckily, we're not dealing with any weird cult-demon shit. Just plain old, easy to understand jutsu."

Nodding idly, Sasuke meandered over to the couch as he began scanning the information. Swallowing nervously, Shikamaru glanced sideways at Naruto.

"I also have some troublesome news." He began, his voice low. "I wanted to be the first person to tell you, so it wouldn't come as a shock when you report to Tsunade tomorrow."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, tilting his head questioningly. "Yeah, sure." He said, his rough voice easing carefully. "What's up, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru glanced nervously towards Sasuke. "Maybe we should talk in the kitchen." He muttered.

Following his gaze, Naruto frowned. After a slight pause, he nodded reluctantly, leading Shikamaru down the hallway. So thick was the tension in the air that the short walk to the kitchen seemed eternal. Naruto sat down at the dining table, exhaling slowly as he pushed his bangs back.

"Man, Shikamaru," He said, laughing humourlessly. "You're giving me a really bad feeling right now."

The strategist managed an apologetic smile as he sat down across from the blond. "Sorry about that," He replied awkwardly, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. "And I'm also sorry that I have to be the bearer of bad news."

"Bad news?" Naruto prompted, leaning in. His bright eyes gleamed intently. "Shikamaru, tell me what's going on."

Shikamaru sighed. "Alright, damn this is a drag. So first of all, none of the teams we sent out have managed to find the Kou's lair." He began in a gentle tone. "We even have Kiba, Hinata and Shino working as a team for this, but they haven't managed to find anything either. On top of that, several of the teams have been attacked and there have been a few casualties."

He glanced down at the sound of the table's wooden planks groaning. The veins in Naruto's forearms bulged as he gripped the table, fighting to control his emotions – and his strength.

"I was afraid of this," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "Most of the teams went beyond the range that I can sense through meditation weeks ago. You said casualties, but were there any deaths? Or more importantly, any possessions?"

Shikamaru looked away. "Two confirmed deaths and one possession." He answered. "Both from the same team."

"Damn, what happened?" Naruto asked, his tone rising aggressively as his frustration increased.

"Well, the Captain of the team reported that they were attacked by a woman who openly claimed to be a member of the Kou clan." Shikamaru said quickly, the intensity of Naruto's aura making him uncomfortable. "Somehow, she managed to split up the team, and took control of one of the shinobi. Apparently, when the team regrouped and found their missing teammate, it was already too late. The possessed person killed one of their comrades before the rest of them caught on, and then they had no choice but to kill them."

Naruto leaned back in his chair, releasing a slow breath as he covered his eyes with his hands. "Fuck, this sucks." He grumbled. "Killing your own comrades, not matter what the reason, really messes with you."

Memories of his old sensei, Asuma, with his head wreathed by cigarette smoke, flashed across Shikamaru's mind. "Yeah," He whispered. "No kidding."

If Naruto heard him, he did a good job of pretending he hadn't. He remained still for a moment, breathing deeply as he steadied himself. Finally, he dropped his hand away from his face, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Shikamaru, when you leave, do me a favour and tell that team that I'll stop by to talk with them tomorrow." He said gently. "And all the people in the hospital, too."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Shikamaru agreed, smiling weakly.

"Great." Naruto said roughly, his eyes the only thing that moved as he dropped his gaze to the strategist. "Now, let's hear the rest of it."

Shikamaru blinked in surprise, raising his eyebrows. "The rest of it?" He repeated. "That was everything."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't bullshit me, Shikamaru." He said. "You've been acting shifty since you got here. I mean, for a genius, you're not very smart when it comes to body language."

After a minute, Shikamaru smirked. "This whole, 'I see into your soul' thing - it's really creepy, you know."

The Jinchuuriki pointed towards his stomach. "I can't take any credit for this one, to be honest." He admitted. "Kurama says that your heart rate's been up ever since you got here."

"Like a said," Shikamaru muttered awkwardly. "Creepy."

Naruto chuckled, glancing up as Sasuke walked around the corner. His face was a stony mask as he dropped the papers down in front of Shikamaru.

"I've read it through." He said coldly, stepping back to lean on the kitchen counter. "Everything seems logical, and Inoichi's theories are very plausible. I also included some notes of my own, just predictions and observations, things of importance."

"Great," Shikamaru said, scanning the new notes quickly. "This will be a huge help, thanks."

"Not a problem." Sasuke replied bitterly. "Now, tell us all about this new tragedy."

"Okay, yeah," Shikamaru laughed nervously as Sasuke's icy chakra sending shivers up his spine. "You troublesome bastards caught me."

Naruto frowned as he straightened up in his chair. He nodded encouragingly at the strategist. "Go ahead, Shikamaru. At this point in our lives, nothing's really going to shock us anymore."

"Right," Shikamaru muttered, rubbing at the nape of his neck. "Well, alright, I'll just come out and say it. The thing is, that young prison guard who had a hero-crush on the two of you, that Milo kid, he was reported missing about a week ago."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, his voice rising. "Well shit, does anyone have any idea what happened to him? Why didn't I know about this sooner?"

"Let me explain," Shikamaru replied quickly. "I didn't tell you right away because I wanted to look into it myself. I dug around in the kids past a little bit, and I found out that during the war, Milo vanished without a trace for an entire month. They figured he was either dead or a deserter, but either way nobody expected him to come back."

"But he did, obviously." Sasuke said in a low voice. "And he was simply allowed to resume his duties, no questions asked?"

"Well, he showed up at the end of the war, when everyone was feeling a little high because we'd won." Shikamaru answered hastily. "But apparently Milo was in perfect health, exactly the same as he'd been when he vanished. That is, until the night that he disappeared for the second time."

"What do you mean?" Naruto urged.

"I talked to one of Milo's friends, another Chunin who said he saw him leaving the village." Shikamaru replied. "And according to that guy, Milo's eyes…his eyes were green instead of brown. Kou eyes."

Naruto didn't say anything, shaking his head as he stood up. He walked over to the window, his hands balled into fists. "So they possessed him during the war, when we were all too busy to really put much thought into it." The blond growled. "And then planted him as a spy directly in the prison, where a ton of confidential stuff passes through."

Shikamaru nodded. "I'm willing to bet that it was Milo who tipped off the rest of the Kou about our plans to move Sasuke."

"I don't want to believe it," Naruto grumbled, "But it makes sense. What do you think, Sasuke?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder when he didn't receive an immediate response, only to freeze when he caught sight of Sasuke's expression. He stood as still as a statue, his face pale. "Milo," He began slowly. "Is the kid who was in my holding cell while I waited for you, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied slowly, stepping forward. "Why, Sasuke, what's up?"

The raven-haired ninja shook his head, grinning bitterly. "He knows all about us." Sasuke said, his voice strained. "He was such a big fan of Naruto, and he was so interested in what happened during the war, that I just told him a few stories."

"What?" Naruto said, his voice rising harshly. "Since when do you open up to anyone? Especially some goofy kid you've known for five minutes?"

"It was a mistake." Sasuke answered coolly.

"It was fucking stupid." Naruto retorted.

"Take it easy, Naruto." Shikamaru said nervously, standing between them. "I mean, that was the first time that Sasuke had really been able to talk to someone in months. It's only natural that his guard would be down a bit, right?"

"That's not the reason." Sasuke muttered, looking away.

"Then what is?" Naruto pressed impatiently, the stress obvious on his face.

After a long silence, Sasuke sighed. "He reminded me of you when you were younger, okay?" He said softly, refusing to return Naruto's gaze. "That's all."

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"Okay, there we go." Shikamaru said soothingly, trying to dissolve some of the tension. "That's a good excuse, Naruto. We all slip up a little when we're feeling sentimental, so don't be so mad at Sasuke for telling the kid a story or two."

"That's not the reason I'm pissed and you know it, Shikamaru." Naruto said, his tone dropping dangerously as he turned back towards the window. "I'm pissed because the Kou now have the inside scoop about me and the person I need to protect. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that feels?"

Shikamaru shifted nervously. "Well, Tsunade was going to order you to take a team and pursue the kid, since you're one of the most skilled trackers in the village. She figured you'd be able to pin him down in no time, before he could pass the information on to his Clan."

"It'd be faster for me to just go alone." Naruto replied. "And then I wouldn't have to worry about protecting my team."

"Yeah well," Shikamaru replied irately. "You aren't the Hokage yet, Naruto, so you've got to follow orders like the rest of us."

Naruto's shoulders stiffened slightly, but he didn't respond.

"What on earth is the Hokage thinking?" Sasuke hissed, stepping forward. "There are plenty of shinobi in this village who are capable of tracking the boy down, and yet she is ordering Naruto to go? When we're perfectly aware that it's Naruto that the Kou are after?"

"That's the problem, actually." Shikamaru replied, inching away from the irritated Uchiha. "Our forces are so thinly stretched right now that Tsunade didn't have much of a choice. And besides, she knows that Naruto will get the job done."

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but he silenced himself as Naruto turned. Orange markings blazed like flames around his gleaming, golden eyes.

"He hasn't gone very far. I can still sense him." Naruto said in a low, gruff voice. He nodded once to Shikamaru, walking slowly towards the front door. "Shikamaru, I was told not to go see Granny while I'm on leave. So, I need you to report to her immediately and find out if my team is assembled yet. I need to capture Milo as soon as possible."

Shikamaru glanced nervously at Sasuke before following Naruto to the entranceway, bending to pull on his shoes. "I'll send an ANBU messenger as soon as I know." He said, straightening up with a sigh. "And what should I do if Tsunade-sama says that she can't get the team until tomorrow?"

Naruto smiled, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. "In that case, tell Granny that I'll be acting on my own, outside of her orders." He replied. Naruto lowered his eyes, continuing in a soft voice. "I can't sit by idly as he gets steadily closer to the Kou. Not when he knows things about Sasuke."

"Man, this is such a drag." Shikamaru grumbled as he stepped past the blond, opening the door. "But I totally understand. Just sit tight, you'll hear something soon."

Sasuke walked over to the window slowly, his arms folded firmly across his stomach. He stared ahead blankly as he fought to control the trembling in his limbs, his chest tightening while he listened to Naruto saying goodbye to Shikamaru.

As soon as the door shut softly behind the tactician, utter silence fell over the house. Naruto stood as if frozen, studying his feet intently but without actually seeing them. He could feel every passing second grating on his nerves, the breath growing stale in his chest as he held it.

"You know it's a trap, don't you."

Sasuke's voice drifted around the corner, disembodied and ghostly. His tone was cold and flat, causing a chill to run across Naruto's skin.

The Sage swallowed hard before answering, still focused on the ground. "Yeah, I know."

After a long moment of silence, Sasuke replied in a softly shaking voice, "And you still intend to go."

Naruto inhaled deeply, swiveling on his heels as he turned back towards the kitchen; back towards the man who was, before Naruto's very eyes, rebuilding the walls around himself. Naruto closed the space between them, stopping when the air began to hum with aggressive emotion.

"I have to go, Sasuke. It has to be me. I can't allow anyone else to be hurt by these people." He replied in a low, soothing tone. "And, I figure it's not much of a trap if nobody gets trapped in it. I wouldn't want their effort to go to waste."

"I'm serious, Naruto!"

"So am I! With their kind of power, do you really think they'll be able to do a thing against me?" Naruto muttered indignantly. "I mean, it's me we're talking about."

"Exactly," Sasuke hissed, his chin dropping towards his chest. "It's you."

Sasuke hugged himself tighter, glad that Naruto couldn't see his expression as his emotionless mask crumbled. "Naruto, they know you," He continued. "They know your strengths and weaknesses. They're well aware that the idiot hero is going to jump in to protect everyone else. They know that you'll willingly sacrifice yourself to save your comrades! Do you really think you'll be able to pull this off without getting hurt?"

Naruto frowned, defensiveness and frustration rushing to his head. "It doesn't matter if I get hurt, Sasuke. It's my job! My job is to put myself in harm's way to protect everyone!"

"Like hell it is!" Sasuke yelled, finally turning. His expression of pained fury made Naruto take a step back. "Your job is to protect the dream. To protect the future, Naruto! You can't honestly expect to keep everyone alive on the way there, can you?"

"No, I know," Naruto replied heatedly, waving his hand as he backed away. "Dammit, I know!"

"You know?" Sasuke repeated, stepping forward into the distance that Naruto had just created. "You know. You know that the Kou will do anything to hurt you, to take you down, but you're just going to waltz right out there?"

"Fucking hell, Sasuke, that's why I have to go!" Naruto suddenly screamed. The ferocity in his voice shocked both of them. Panting hoarsely, Naruto stumble a few steps backwards before sinking down into a chair, his hands shaking. Inhaling deeply, his hung his head, the thick fall of his bangs hiding his face.

"Damn, I know they want to hurt me. And that they know all about me." Naruto continued, his usually even tone broken and shaky. Slowly, he glanced up, his teary gaze landing on Sasuke. "They know what makes me weak. That's why I have to go out there, Sasuke. That's why I have to face them and try to end this."

"But why?" Sasuke whispered, finally stirring from his shock at Naruto's sudden outburst. "Why do you feel so pressured to get them, all of a sudden?"

A choking sob punctured the tense atmosphere. "I'm afraid." Naruto admitted as angry tears leaked from his brilliant blue eyes. "I just have this feeling that everything I love, everything I fought so hard to protect is going to be taken away from me."

Sasuke felt something in his chest tighten unbearably. The pain was so intense that he leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table for support. "How do you think I feel?" He asked, his voice hoarse. "How do you think I feel every time you go? And how do you think I feel now, sending you off on a mission when I know you won't be returned to me safely?"

Naruto's head jerked up suddenly, his eyes fierce. "Listen to me Sasuke." He said, the strength in his tone slightly at odds with the tear stains on his cheeks. "No matter what happens, no matter how many times I go or where I'm going; I will always come for you. Always. No matter what, I'll always come back. Don't you dare doubt that – you know!"

All Sasuke could do was shake his head, smiling sadly. "You're not the only one who wants to protect the things that are important to him, Naruto." He whispered. "You're not the only one who feels like the things you love are being taken away."

"Sasuke," Naruto said, standing up slowly.

Closing his eyes tightly, Sasuke shook his head again as he quickly turned away. "Whatever, idiot-blond." He muttered. "Just don't you dare die, you got that?"

Sighing softly, Naruto walked forward until his chest grazed Sasuke's shoulder blades. He leaned forward, brushing Sasuke's hair out of the way as he placed a soft, lingering kiss on the back of his neck.

"Correction," Naruto whispered, his voice pinched by sadness. He dropped his head down onto Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm your idiot-blond, you know."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed with a gentle sigh. "My idiot-blond."

After a long moment of silence, Naruto said gently. "Even if this mission goes badly, and I get injured or captured, I'm willing to bet that the Kou won't be able to possess me. Not when I've got Kurama inside of me."

"And what if you're wrong?" Sasuke asked in a low whisper.

"Then every seal and barrier I've placed upon you and this house will disappear." Naruto replied, his deep voice rich against Sasuke's ear. "And then, I'll be waiting eagerly for you to come and save me."

So adept was Naruto at merging natural energy with his own, that his presence went unnoticed by the team of Chunin who gathered for the mission. As the blond meditated silently within the branches of an ancient oak tree, Shikamaru stood at the base, greeting the other shinobi and filling them in on the mission strategy. It hadn't taken Shikamaru much effort to convince Tsunade that it was a good idea to send him along on this mission.

"Are you the leader during this assignment, Shikamaru-sempai?" One of the shinobi asked formally when the strategist had finished speaking.

"No, I'm just the idea guy." Shikamaru replied with a slight smirk. "The leader is actually Naruto."

The three Chunin gasped, exchanging excited glances.

"I've always wanted to work with him!" Admitted the kunoichi excitedly, flicking her dark, purple-tinged bangs away from her face.

"As have I," Said the third. "But isn't he a bit late?"

They exchanged a quick glance again before looking at Shikamaru questioningly. The strategist blinked in surprise.

"Didn't you notice? Naruto was the first one here." With that said, Shikamaru pointed above his head into the branches of the tree.

The Chunin gasped again, so loudly that it was almost comical. "Naruto-sama!" They exclaimed in excitement and shock.

Slowly, Naruto's eyelids slipped open and his gleaming, golden gaze fell across his hastily assembled team. He smiled at them softly before jumping down from the tree, landing in the wet snow with scarcely a sound. Taking time to meditate had allowed the blond to cool down, his emotions much steadier than they had been an hour earlier.

"I'm glad that you could all get here so fast." He said in a low voice. "Sorry, I know it was kind of last minute."

He paused to flick a bit of snow from the shoulder of his red cloak, seemingly oblivious to the stares of open awe which were directed towards him.

"Even though I'm technically the team leader," He continued, glancing at Shikamaru. "I won't hesitate to act suddenly or leave you guys behind if it comes down to that. In those situations, you'll just have to follow Shikamaru's orders and trust in my judgement."

The Chunin nodded slowly before the kunoichi asked curiously, "But why would you have to leave us, Naruto-sama?"

Naruto smiled gently, the gesture not softening the hardness in his eyes. "The nature of my power," He began slowly. "Makes it so that I'm just as dangerous to my comrades as I am to my enemies – you know."

This statement seemed to confuse the young shinobi, but Shikamaru cut in before they could ask any further questions. These three Chunin had obviously not been a part of the main army during the war. If they had, they would understand how terrible and oppressing Naruto's power was. When the Jinchuuriki was fighting, even his comrades had no choice but to lay low and wait for the endless tide of his chakra to cease.

"Have to found his exact location?" The genius Nara asked.

"You bet." Naruto said, smiling as reassuringly as he could. "So, if you guys are ready, let's move out."

Without waiting to hear their response, Naruto spun quickly on his heel and strode away down the main road. The crowd parted for him as he passed on swift and silent feet, an air of untouchable purpose surrounding him. His team scurried behind him, and even Shikamaru felt small and homely in the wake of the handsome blond.

As they reached the gate which led out of the village, Naruto stopped suddenly to look back at the village. His gaze lingered for a while on the stone faces of the previous Hokage's. He smiled as he looked at the figurehead of the Fourth Hokage, saying softly, "Look after them while I'm gone, Dad."

He turned back towards the road, nodding to the guards before setting off at a run, leading his team to the world beyond.

High up in the bare branches of the trees, a bird with coldly glinting, green eyes took flight.

A/N: Well, I'm all moved in to the new place and waiting for the new semester to start. Thanks to everyone who wished my luck with the move!

And, as always, thank you for your reviews and favourites. They all mean a lot to me.