Sasuke found Naruto sitting outside the next morning, the dew still dripping from the grass. "You're up early." Sasuke whispered, sitting next to him. "I have this feeling Sasuke..." Naruto whispered. "They're coming." Sasuke said, putting his arm around Naruto. "I wish I knew what they were planning." Naruto said, looking at Sasuke. "Whatever it is, we stick together. Now that I have you in the way we were always truly meant to be together...I can't lose you." Sasuke said, pushing a lock of hair from Naruto's face. "I love when you do that." Naruto smiled. "It's just become a habit, nothing should hide those beautiful eyes." Sasuke said. "Sasuke...stop...I'm blushing." Naruto giggled. Sasuke grabbed his face and kissed him, Naruto giggled as they fell backwards into the grass.
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"We should be there by nightfall Sakura." Kakashi said. "Good." Sakura said, holding her head high. "Sakura, if I may interject, Lady Tsunade said we bring them back together or let them go...what is your plan here?" Sai asked. "Sasuke will not be included in this retrieval." Sakura said. "Sakura, separating them now could cause Sasuke to threaten the safety of our village." Shikamaru said. "Sasuke is not coming back to the village! He will not corrupt Naruto any further!" Sakura said, balling her fists. "Naruto really loves Sasuke, to the point where he abandoned his village to be with him...or die." Kiba said, looking down at the ground. Sakura stopped walking and just looked forward into the distance, the others watched her. "If you understood how much Sasuke tore Naruto apart, saw what I did every single day, you would understand why I don't want them to be together. I would clean Naruto's blood off the floor, I would hold his hair back while he retched into the toilet...Naruto wasn't Naruto anymore. He was so empty...hollow. I'll never forget how dark his eyes had become. I was pretty sure I was going to wake up and find him dead one day. Sasuke was the poison who infected Naruto and turned him into this...empty shell. Sasuke is scum, and the mere thought of me ever loving him, makes me sick to my stomach. I need to save Naruto from himself, because he can't do it. I love him and I can't let Sasuke ruin his life any longer." Sakura said, tearing rolling down her face and dripping on the ground. The other stared at her, speechless. "Let's keep going." Sakura said and continued walking with her head held high.
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Sasuke laid awake with Naruto curled up asleep at his side. Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that they were coming for Naruto. Sasuke stroked the bandages on Naruto's wrist, worrying what might happen if they were to separate. Keeping his promise to Naruto was getting hard when they were threatening to take him away. Sasuke looked at Naruto, sleeping peacefully next to him and smiled. He closed his eyes and he soon fell asleep.
The team masked their chakra and approached the hideout carefully. "Shikamaru, activate it now." Sakura whispered. Shikamaru did a few hand signs and activated the sleeping jutsu. "We have about twenty minutes to retrieve Naruto before the deep sleep wears off, but we should make it back to the village before he wakes up for good." Shikamaru said. "Kiba, find them." Sakura said. Kiba lead them down a narrow hall and to a door. Sakura peeked inside and saw the two boys sleeping. Kakashi sneaked in and grabbed Naruto, he was out cold. Kakashi threw Naruto over Akamaru's back. "Just in case he wakes up before we get him home." Sakura said as she tied his wrists and ankles together. They all left the hideout quickly and rushed home.
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Sasuke woke up and saw that Naruto wasn't next to him. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he got up and walked outside. Sasuke began to panic, he couldn't sense Naruto's chakra at all. "Damn it!" Sasuke screamed and ran back into the hideout. He gathered up his weapons and got dressed quickly, tears trickled down his cheek. "I'm coming Naruto...please...hang on!" Sasuke yelled as he ran through the forest.
Naruto blinked his eyes open and then widened them. "I fucking knew it!" Naruto yelled and thrashed, but he couldn't move. He was in a holding cell in Konoha. "Naruto, calm down." Sakura said. "You...I can't believe you did this." Naruto said. "There's a chakra barrier around your cell so don't try anything." Sakura said. "Why...why couldn't you just leave us alone?!" Naruto screamed, tears running down his cheeks. "I will not let him destroy you anymore Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "He's helping me, damn it!" Naruto said, inside he was terrified. "So once he leaves again, you're gonna be perfectly fine?" Sakura asked. "He won't leave me, I know he's on his way right now." Naruto said. "Oh I know he is, perfect chance for me to kill him. You can finally move on with your life and start loving me the way I love you." Sakura said. "Sakura...I don't want you...I want him, it's always been him and you know that." Naruto cried. "I know, but if I get rid of the problem, you will move on." Sakura said. "Sakura...please don't hurt him...please!" Naruto begged, still struggling against the ropes around his wrists and ankles. "Naruto, you'll thank me one day, for getting rid of this burden for you." Sakura said. Naruto finally broke free of the ropes around his wrists and untied the one around his ankles. "Sakura, I need him! How could you betray me like this?!" Naruto screamed, running up to the bars of the cell and smacking into them. "You aren't getting out of there until we know you aren't going to run away or kill yourself." Sakura said and walked away.
Naruto slammed his fist against the wall, making his hand bleed. He was terrified. He knew Sasuke was on his way, but he didn't want anything to happen to him. He would do anything to make sure Sasuke was safe. He held his head in his hands and cried, he couldn't lose Sasuke...not again. He looked at his wrists, bandaged for the last year, an attempt to erase the past. For the first time, Naruto took the bandages off and looked at his scars, he felt like cutting. The twitching came, the itch to bring blade to skin. They were smart and removed anything potentially dangerous from his cell, he looked around almost desperately to find something sharp. He threw his head against the wall, he was trying to fight the urge. He was having a panic attack, he didn't know what was going to happen to Sasuke, but he had to get out of this cell. "I have to stop them...I have to protect Sasuke...he would do it for me." Naruto whispered.