Nel here, hope you all are enjoying, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Read away!

xxx

It was a few hours before anyone spoke. They were all trying to digest what they had seen earlier.

"So...how long?" Naruto blushed at Kakashi's question.

…That asshole, swooping in and kissing me like that in front of Guy, Kakashi, and Yamato. He gets off scotch free without anyone in the village knowing and I'm left to talk about it with Kakashi…

"Well, pretty much since I first ran into him in the woods on that mission, but everything happened so fast, and before we really had a chance to talk about what was between us we had to go and we didn't see each other again until the night I came home from the hospital. I guess you could say that night is when we officially got together."

"I see…and what exactly happened when you ran into him on the mission?" Kakashi asked the question hesitantly.

"About that…" Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "When I found him, he tried to kill me. I actually have a pretty good scar on my shoulder from where his hand was sticking through me. If it weren't for the fact that I heal extremely fast from the nine tails chakra things would have been a lot worse."

"And what made him not kill you?" Naruto's face turned a darker shade of red at the question.

"He just couldn't…because, well, ya know." Kakashi sighed at Naruto's answer.

"No Naruto, I don't know, that's why I asked."

"We know now he couldn't do it because he loved me…but we didn't know that then. He just couldn't do it, I wasn't fighting back, and it would've been child's play for him to take my life. I was willing to die, but he couldn't kill me. He got angry about not being able to follow through and punched me a few times. When he started to leave I…well…uh…I yelled at him that I loved him and kissed him…"

"Is that all?" Kakashi asked sarcastically.

"Hey! It's not like we planned it this way! Not that I mind how things turned out…" Kakashi smiled underneath his mask.

"I'm happy for you Naruto, truly." He patted Naruto on the shoulder. "It's about time you found someone who makes you happy. I'll admit I was pretty surprised, especially finding out like I did, but I can't say it doesn't make sense, it definitely clarifies a few things. I can tell you love each other deeply."

"Thanks, Kakashi. It actually feels really good to not have to keep it a secret. Other than the three of you no one knows except Suigetsu and Sakura." Until now the others had silently listened letting Kakashi do all the talking.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" Guy gave Naruto an energetic thumbs up. Yamato nodded his agreement.

"How did Sakura handle the news?" Kakashi asked.

"She slapped me." Kakashi let out a hardy chuckle.

"Sounds like her."

"Yeah, but she came to terms with it, at least, I hope. We had a really good talk. So where are we headed?"

"The nearest port, the first portion of our journey is by boat. Right Yamato?" Yamato nodded.

"Well, I hope we get there quickly so I can start my training. The faster we can get this done the better!"

xxx

Sasuke had sent the first on duty ninja he found to alert Tsunade of the team's successful departure and had gone back to the apartment. He had laid down on the bed and was staring at the ceiling. The apartment felt empty, he longed for the feel of Naruto beside him, hungered for his warmth, he had known he was going to miss him, he had known it was going to be hard, but he hadn't expected it to be this hard, and so soon. The emptiness he felt was agonizing. What made it worse was having no idea when Naruto would return, and not being able to talk with him at all. Sasuke let out a sigh, Naruto was right about the opportunity this provided him, he would just have to focus on taking down the two remaining elders, he was certain that if he could provide enough evidence Lady Tsunade would happily support their removal from power, they had been a thorn in her side since she started. He had only seen them interact a few times, but with how quickly they made Tsunade's blood boil it was clear she did not like them, and never had. He could accomplish two things at once, distract himself from how much he missed Naruto, and get justice for all of the atrocities that had happened. First thing tomorrow morning he would go to meet with Sai, and if the opportunity presented itself, return those files. He turned onto his side and closed his eyes, he smiled as images of Naruto filled his mind and chuckled inwardly thinking about him having to explain everything to his teammates. It was early for bed, but he didn't care, he missed Naruto and he wanted to go to sleep where he could be with him in his dreams. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough, he would have his vengeance, the time for elders to answer for their crimes was coming. He was going to make sure of that.

xxx

When Sasuke woke up the next morning he pouted when he remembered that Naruto was gone and the empty feeling returned. He got up, showered, and had breakfast. He felt ridiculous, even though he knew Naruto was gone he couldn't help but feel like he was just going to show up. It sucked, big time. As he left the apartment he dreaded reaching the bottom of the steps, knowing that Naruto wouldn't be there to tell him to have a good day. He paused on the last step, the pain of Naruto's absence made him feel heavy, the feeling of longing intensifying. He leaned against the side of the building, crossing his arms. He clenched his teeth.

"Get it together Sasuke, you're a mess." He scolded himself for letting the situation get to him so much. He took a deep breath. "I love you Naruto...stay safe." He whispered. He stepped onto the ground and headed for the Anbu headquarters. It was a beautiful day, the sun shone brightly and white puffy clouds floated through the clear blue skies. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the trees, it was just enough to keep the day from being too hot. The breeze tousled Sasuke's jet black hair, wisps brushed against the leaf insignia etched into the metal plate of his headband. The Anbu headquarters loomed into sight as Sasuke drew closer. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought about Danzo's body rotting in whatever ravine Suigetsu had found for him. With how close Naruto had come to dying he wished he could bring him back to life just so he could kill him again, Danzo deserved to die 10,000 times over for all of the things he had done. As he approached the main entrance the Anbu stationed to either side of the doors pulled them open to let him pass. He went straight to the main office, he knocked twice before entering. Sai was standing looking out the window.

"Ah, Sasuke, good, you're here." Sai walked around to the front of his desk. "I believe we have a lot to discuss." Sasuke nodded.

"I figured I could start by looking at your files, see what you already have and build from there. I would like to brief as many people at once as possible, the less time it takes the better, then they can assist in getting the word to everyone else."

"Sounds like a plan. I will have someone show you to the records room as soon as we are done here."

...Score...and I was worried about how I was going to return the files...I will never get a better chance than this to get intel on the elders...

Sasuke returned his attention to Sai from his inner thoughts. "That would be great, thanks. I would also like to set up a few different times to do drills and combat training, Madara is like nothing anyone has ever faced before, if they want to have even the slightest chance of surviving against him, should they have the displeasure of facing him, they have to be prepared and smart about it."

"Whatever you say Sasuke, anything you need, you are our best chance against him and I trust you. This is out of my league, I will be learning along with everyone else." Sasuke nodded.

"I'll draw up a list of necessary items and a template of training times."

"Very good." Sai sat down behind the desk. "One last thing before you go." Sai reached under the desk and pulled up a canvas. "I've had this for a little while, I was trying to decide when the best time would be to give it to you and Naruto..." Sai's signature smile hadn't left his face. Sasuke stared expressionlessly at the canvas in Sai's hands. "I figured with Naruto being gone for an indefinite period of time you would like to have it. I hope you like it." Sasuke raised one eyebrow as Sai handed the canvas to him. When he turned it around his mouth fell open in shock. He stared at the painting in his hands for a few moments before looking up at Sai.

"This...you were...so all this time?" Sai nodded, the smile still on his face.

"I'm not very good with understanding people's emotions, at least not yet, but even I could tell that that moment was something special, it is still crystal clear in my memory."

Sasuke looked back down at the painting, it was his and Naruto's first kiss. Sai had captured it in perfect detail. The churning dark sky, the pouring rain, Naruto covered in his own blood, tears mingled with rain drops on both of their faces. Their eyes were closed, Naruto's injured arm hung limply at his side, while his other hand tightly gripped Sasuke's shirt. They were pressed against each other, Sasuke hand one hand tangled in Naruto's hair the other firmly cupped the side of his face. They were locked in a passionate kiss. Sasuke dropped into one of the chairs in front of Sai's desk. He couldn't tare his eyes away from the vivid image, it was like he was there. All the different emotions he had felt that night welled back up in his chest. It took his breath away. It was a few minutes before he could speak.

"Thank you, Sai, and not just for the picture, why did you keep everything a secret?"

"Well, as soon as Naruto asked to split up on that mission I knew something was up. I used my art based jutsu to fly to the hide out I was supposed to check out, it was a dud, so I flew right back, and tracked Naruto to the lake. I got there right when you plunged your sword into its sheath instead of Naruto. I thought about getting involved, but I decide to just observe. I knew how much you meant to Naruto, I figured he would have a better chance of bringing you back if I didn't get involved, but I was there if things went south. I learned more about love and friendship in those moments than I could ever learn from reading books. I followed you at a distance until I knew you were both safe, then I returned to camp. I trust Naruto, he is my friend, so when he didn't tell me anything about what had happened I figured he must have a good reason so I didn't tell either. If there is one thing I am good at it is keeping secrets. Everything seems to have fallen into place quite well, which only serves as proof that my trust in Naruto wasn't misplaced. I painted that because there was incredible emotion in that moment. It was powerful. So, I guess you could say I kept what had happened a secret because I believed in what I saw in that moment. I still do. I am on your side."

Sasuke gently touched the painting and smiled. Naruto sure did have a way with people. He had a special way of making people do things they never thought they would. He was a light in a dark world, no one could stay in the darkness when he was around. Naruto always gave people the benefit of the doubt and never gave up on them, he was relentless. Looking at the face of his lover he felt pride and joy. Naruto had accomplished so much and he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Sasuke hated to think of what his life would have been if Naruto had given up on him, the only word he could think of to describe what it would've been is dark. Thanks to Naruto he had light, and he had love. Naruto brought him joy.

"I've never been very good at talking about my feelings...but please know that I am beyond grateful to you, I know Naruto would say the same." Sai's smile got a little bigger at Sasuke's words.

"Your reaction said it all. I'm looking forward to working with you. I'll have someone show you too the records room." Sasuke carefully placed the painting into his backpack. It was only a few seconds before an Anbu appeared in the room. Sai and Sasuke shared a nod and he was guided from the office to the record room.