Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!
Chapter Note: This chapter is based on the "Naruto: Bonds" movie but mostly from Sasuke and Namiko's perspectives. If you haven't seen it, it should still make some sense.
Content Warning: Suicide attempt
Chapter 32: Bonds
Around a month and a half had passed since Sasuke's birthday and He had kept his distance from Namiko ever since Kabuto found them kissing; he knew Orochimaru had to know what was going on between the two young shinobi, but he didn't want to make things worse. They still held each other at night but Sasuke limited them to simple pecks and hugs only within the walls of their room.
Namiko was struggling with the lack of affection. Sasuke had shut off emotionally for the most part and she had felt quite alone. He rarely spoke to her anymore, and when he did, he kept his responses short and to the point. Namiko often wondered what she did wrong to cause this, but he refused to discuss it, saying "it was too dangerous to discuss" in Orochimaru's hideouts.
Thankfully, Orochimaru hadn't decided to poison her again, saying he found it particularly interesting that she had been sick for less than twenty-four hours and to a much lesser extent than Sasuke had been. The sannin could only attribute it to the kyuubi within her and was satisfied to leave her alone. For now.
The time of Orochimaru's body transfer was nearing as the sannin became sicker with each passing day. He was struggling to breathe without coughing and mostly confined to his bed. Kabuto had been consistently upping the amount of pain medications just to keep him crumbling to the ground in pain.
When Orochimaru called the couple into his chambers, both wondered why they were summoned. It turned out he wanted to send both of them, alone, to track down a man who taught Orochimaru his forbidden regeneration jutsu and hoped the man could help him perfect his body transfer jutsu. Namiko wasn't thrilled about helping Orochimaru find anything that would help him take over Sasuke, but she'd follow whatever Sasuke did.
They had traveled to a waterfall hideout that Sasuke had used before on some of his solo missions for Orochimaru on the outer portion of the Land of Fire near the coast. They trekked through rainforest-like surroundings of thick vegetation and extreme humidity before coming across the beautiful, crystal-blue lake which was fed by a large waterfall cut hidden inside the curve of a mountainside.
Namiko waded into the shallow part of the lake, bending over to splash her face with water. Sasuke's voice cut through the roar of the waterfall, "If you're done dawdling, I'll show you how to get in the base." He led her up to a ledge that made an opening just behind the waterfall.
The hideout was in a cave behind the waterfall and incredibly small, with just enough room for some tatami mats and a basic futon. A thin curtain visually separated the waterfall from the living area, but the waterfall's roar made its presence impossible to ignore.
Namiko sat down on the edge of the tatami mat. "This is a niche place. Did you find this?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Orochimaru set it up for me when I once came on a mission in this area. I've used it several times, sometimes even just coming here to get some privacy away from Orochimaru. There's an old base near here that he abandoned a while back, so I haven't been here as often."
"That's the most you've said to me in one breath in weeks," muttered Namiko bitterly.
Sasuke crouched in front of her to look her in the eye. "What are you talking about? I talk to you."
"Ha!" she scoffed as she shot him a glare, "You've been holding me at arms' length since Kabuto caught us kissing and barely linked more than four words together at a time." She rolled her eyes and stood up to walk away.
Sasuke caught her wrist as she walked by, standing up and pulling her toward him. "I was just trying to protect you!"
"That wasn't protecting me, Sasuke. You were abandoning me," her dejected tone tugged at Sasuke's emotions.
"I—I didn't mean to make you feel that way. Namiko, I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. By limiting our contact, Orochimaru couldn't accidentally stumble on anything he could use against us again," he explained, hoping somehow, she'd understand. "I told you before, he has eyes and ears all over his bases. At least here I know there's nothing to worry about."
Namiko looked up at him quizzically. "I don't see how he would know anything that happens in our room anyway. I don't like you shutting me out; I'd settle for just talking to you more if you're that concerned about the physical affection."
Sasuke sighed as he brought a hand to her face. "I wasn't thinking of your feelings in this. Forgive me?"
"Only if you kiss me now," she said with a smirk.
"Done." Sasuke kissed her slowly, taking his time to enjoy every second. He had almost forgotten what her lips felt like, soft and smooth, warm and inviting. Her arms wound around his neck and her hands dove into the back of his hair; he'd never admit it aloud, but he loved it when she did that.
To his surprise, Namiko was the one to pull back from the kiss after a moment. "So, is where we have to go to find the man nearby?"
"It's not too far, but this was the closest place for us to stay." He pulled out a map from the seal on his arm guard. "We're about fifty kilometers from where the man should be. His name is Shinnou." Clipped to the corner of the map was a picture of a man with long white hair and a white beard.
Namiko hummed curiously. "He almost looks like a relative of Jiraiya-ji-chan."
"Definitely not though." Sasuke rolled up the map. "We'll set out after him in the morning. Do you sense anyone nearby?"
She shook her head. "Closest people are some civilians about ten kilometers away."
"Good. We're officially completely alone." A smile was threatening to break through the surface of his lips.
"So tonight…?"
"Just us." He snaked his arm around her waist and kissed the side of her neck.
A giggle escaped her. "Just what are you scheming in that brilliant mind of yours?"
"To keep you in my arms as much I can since I don't have to worry anyone would find or interrupt us," he answered as he kissed up her jaw and a final kiss on her lips.
"As much as I would like to continue our kisses in here, I'm getting a little overheated and that lake is calling my name." She walked past the curtain before turning and winking at him. "Do you care to join me?"
Sasuke followed her back down to the lake and sat on the bank. "So, do you actually know how to swim now?" he asked teasingly, remembering very clearly how he found out she couldn't swim after he startled her at the Uchiha pond when they were twelve.
"Yes, I know how to swim now," replied Namiko in a snarky tone as she pulled off her white shirt, leaving her in her white and gray bra and black shorts as she waded into the water. "Kiba taught me the spring after you left."
"Kiba taught you?" he reiterated with a splash of surprise and a hint of jealousy. He turned his face away from her to hide the warmth he felt encroaching on his neck as he tried to distract himself from her lack of normal clothing. "I suppose dogs are good swimmers—" His last word was cut off as a splash of water hit him in the face. He faced her, his Sharingan activated automatically. "What the hell?" he asked more out of surprise than anger.
"You were an easy target," she said with a shrug and splashed him again, trying to hide a smile.
"Two can play that game…" Sasuke removed his sword and the other clothes besides his dark blue pants before slinking smoothly into the water, watching her like she was his prey.
The glint in his eye told her to be on guard as she laughed nervously and backed up in the water slowly. "Sasuke, you know I was just teasing you, right?"
Sasuke smirked and dove forward, knocking Namiko off her feet, as both went under the cool water. When they reemerged, Namiko sputtered and wiped the water from her face, and Sasuke laughed. Not a loud laugh but a true laugh, nonetheless.
She stared at him in disbelief. "You—I haven't heard you laugh since we were in the academy." Her dumbfounded expression turned into a bright smile. "You should laugh more often."
"I haven't had a real reason to laugh or smile until you." He pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for that." He started to get out of the lake. "We still need to be careful until Orochimaru is gone, but it's nice to get a bit of freedom."
Namiko sighed loudly. "I hate that we have to hide our relationship at all but understand it a bit more." She undid her hair from its bun and let it tumble down to her hips to dry. She smirked as she looked up at him. "Trust me, I'm counting down the days until we don't have to hide anything anymore."
Konoha had recently been attacked by a group of shinobi who claimed to be from the Land of Sky. Cleanup was underway for most of the village and jounin were stretched thin trying to keep the Land of Sky from encroaching closer on the village. Despite the damage to the village and heavy casualties, those who were injured and taken to the medical corp had all been treated perfectly, ensuring survival. A young boy named Amaru explained that the people had been treated by a man by the name of Shinnou and the man was his teacher, and they needed to get back to his village as soon as possible.
Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata had been sent to escort Shinnou and Amaru back to his village. They traveled through heavy vegetation and used canoes in rivers since neither Amaru nor Shinnou were shinobi. Shinnou, Sakura, and Hinata shared one, and Amaru and Naruto shared the other. Hinata spotted a Land of Sky shinobi flying in the sky and Shinnou suggested they hide the boats under the trees.
Naruto and Amaru couldn't hide their canoe in time, and Naruto flipped the boat plunging them both in the water to keep them from being seen. When Naruto got back in the boat, he had Amaru's vest in hand without Amaru. He dove back into the water to rescue Amaru, pulling them to safety.
Once the adrenaline wore off, Naruto suddenly realized that Amaru was a girl who had been wearing a bulky vest to hide her body. Naruto got bit by a venomous fish, but Amaru quickly got him to shore and worked to remove the venom. Sakura watched carefully and was highly impressed by Amaru's medical skill, finding no trace of the venom once Amaru was finished treating Naruto.
They continued on foot through the jungle and Hinata soon spotted smoke rising from some sort of buildings ahead. Amaru took off running at full speed and found her village engulfed in flames. She began yelling and searching for any sign of life, though she triggered a trap, causing a flurry of kunai to release, heading straight for her.
Shinnou darted in front of her and shoved her out of the way, taking the full attack on himself before tumbling down the stairs and into Amaru's arms. Sakura checked Shinnou over, but the damage was too severe and widespread for her to heal him in time.
They buried his body and the three shinobi gave Amaru some privacy to grieve while they checked out the surrounding area for any survivors of the village. Each went their separate ways, but Sakura stopped when she saw Naruto by himself. "Naruto, what are you staring at?"
"That," he said as he pointed to a large, dark structure mostly hidden by fog. "Do you think that's what Shinnou-jiji was talking about when he mentioned ancient ruins earlier?"
"Let's check it out," she said as they both headed toward the massive structure.
Everything was in complete ruins and covered in fog. Suddenly a figure stepped out of the fog: Amaru. Her eyes glowed red as she spoke in a monotone voice, "I am the Reibi. When conflict rages in the world and human hearts are overtaken by darkness, I am born anew." Her voice started to morph into something otherworldly as a snake-leech hybrid apparition seemed to wrap around her, "I consume the darkness of men's souls, rise, and grow, gathering endless strength, so that this world will be ruled by darkness."
The apparition that called itself 'Reibi' took physical form and shot forward after Sakura, knocking her out and wrapping tentacles tightly around Naruto. "You have something very interesting inside of you. Why don't you simply release that power? Why keep it hidden within you? I want it…"
It squeezed Naruto tighter and Naruto felt the familiar pulse of the kyuubi's chakra rising to the surface. "It's too powerful, too dangerous. I can't rely on something that almost killed Sakura and Ero-sennin and everyone else!"
"Surrender to it and expose your evil to me. Show me the darkness in your heart."
Naruto fought against the kyuubi rising to the surface. "No way! I'm gonna save Amaru with my own power!"
"That's impossible, you of all people should know that by now."
"What d'ya say?" Naruto growled out as he struggled against the Reibi's tentacles.
"Sasuke, was it? You may have tried but your light was no match for the darkness in his heart. And your sister, Namiko, her darkness is buried deep inside, boiling under the surface until it burns everyone around her." The creature smiled maliciously. "The truth is…you cannot save anyone!"
The Reibi dragged Naruto through the rubble, slamming him into a particularly large piece of broken building. A cylinder of fire erupted causing the Reibi to let go. The flames died down revealing Naruto on all fours, cloaked in the kyuubi's chakra with three tails flicking wildly behind him.
Sasuke and Namiko got an early start that morning, traveling through the thick jungle toward Shinnou's last known whereabouts. They'd come across all sorts of dangerous creatures, including the large snake that Sasuke just killed. Sasuke sheathed his sword and turned to Namiko. "You doing okay?"
Namiko breathed out a laugh; Sasuke had been asking her the same question about every half hour since they left the safety of the cave. "I'm fine, just feeling a little overheated."
"Maybe we should take a break," he suggested as he took a swig from the water bottle she offered.
"Sasuke, this is the ninth time you've asked me that! I appreciate you thinking of me, but you don't have to baby me. I promise I won't break. I am a shinobi too, you know."
"I know that."
She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do you?" Suddenly, she felt a jolt of searing pain in her stomach and doubled over, hissing at the pain.
Sasuke was at her side in a heartbeat, Sharingan flaring to life. "The kyuubi's chakra is all over the place. Do you need me to try to contain it?"
Namiko shook her head, gritting her teeth. "I—I think Naruto is nearby. I can't sense him fully, but the last time this happened was when he showed up at Orochimaru's base in Kusa." The pain intensified for a brief moment and then just stopped. She lifted her shirt to see the seal on her stomach begin to fade.
"Are you okay to move?" Sasuke asked.
"I'm fine. Let's keep going; I have a bad feeling Naruto needs me…"
The two continued on their path, this time taking to the trees and leaping through them. After a few more kilometers, Namiko gasped as she felt familiar chakra come into her range. "I was right, it is Naruto! And Sakura too! There's another chakra with them that I don't recognize, but they aren't fighting or anything, but something is off. Naruto needs me."
Namiko glanced over. "Sasuke, I'll see you there." Without another word, she disappeared from sight.
Sasuke growled out loud as he maxed out his running speed. "Damn jutsu…she's going to be the death of me."
Namiko popped out next to Naruto just as he was running into what looked to be an ancient building, along with a young girl she didn't recognize. They stopped suddenly when Naruto felt his sister's hand on his arm. "Namiko?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Nice to see you too, nii-chan," she says sarcastically. She noticed the girl behind him. "Who's this?"
"This is Amaru. Amaru, this is my sister, Namiko." It's then that Naruto breaks out into a grin and pulls his sister into a bear hug. "I missed you." He takes a deep breath in. "I missed you so much."
When he pulls back, he sees Namiko's bright smile beaming back at him. "I missed you too. Now give me the rundown of what's going on and how I can help."
"Wait, are you alone? Why isn't Sasuke with you? Did you all leave Orochimaru?!"
Namiko pressed her lips together nervously. "No, Sasuke should be here soon. I sensed you and I kind of ditched him with Flying Raijin because I thought you needed help when I felt its chakra flare. We're here on a mission to find some man named Shinnou."
The moment that Namiko finished her sentence, the ground shook again and it felt like the building was in the air. She poked her head out the door's opening before turning back to her brother with wide eyes. "We're in the air…while still inside an ancient building…what on earth is going on?"
Naruto launched into an explanation, "Konoha got attacked by the Land of Sky and then this doctor guy helped treat all the hurt people. Turns out he's Amaru's master and I thought Amaru was a boy, but she's a girl. We were helping escort them to Amaru's village and when we found it, the whole thing was on fire and no one was around, and then Shinnou-jiji died—"
Namiko cut him off, "Shinnou died?"
Naruto glazed over her question and kept talking, "Yeah, and then me, Sakura, and Hinata spread out to look for the missing villagers. I saw this building in the distance, so Sakura and I came to check it out. Amaru was standing in the middle but it wasn't really her; she's got the Reibi inside her, kinda like the kyuubi for us." He took a deep breath before continuing his explanation, "Anyways, it drew out the kyuubi a bit, and I guess that's why you sensed me, but I was able to calm down and then help Amaru calm down. Hinata is missing now along with the villagers and when the ground started to shake, Amaru and me decided to check out this building, and…that's it. You're caught up."
Namiko blinked several times trying to process his word explosion, when Amaru spoke up, "You said you were looking for Shinnou-sama. Why?"
"Sasuke and I were supposed to bring him back with us. Apparently, he's the one who gave Orochimaru the regeneration jutsu. He's in pretty bad shape and I think Orochimaru is desperate for anything at this point." Namiko sighed. "But if Shinnou is dead, then Orochimaru will have to deal with it. I just hope this doesn't bite Sasuke or me in the butt."
Namiko shook her head to try and refocus. "Okay, let's back up and make a plan. Firstly, Hinata and a bunch of civilians are definitely in here. They don't seem to be hurt but something doesn't seem quite right with their chakra. What concerns me more is the dark chakra I'm sensing from a room down the hall and underneath us."
"You can sense chakra?" questioned Amaru.
Namiko nodded and Naruto had a serious expression as he looked at his sister. "Imouto, can you lead us to the dark chakra? It's probably best we take care of any threat before trying to rescue Hinata and the others."
"Agreed. Follow me." Namiko led them down the hall and Naruto quickly took out two Sky shinobi before they reached a large room with a throne in the middle.
Sitting on the throne was Shinnou.
"I knew it!" Amaru threw herself in his arms happily. "I believed in you! I knew you were still alive!"
"What's the meaning of all this craziness?" asked Naruto as he stepped closer to Amaru and Shinnou, Namiko stayed put in the doorway, hesitant about the man's chakra.
"It's complicated, even if I explained it, I doubt your small minds could understand." Shinnou stroked the top of Amaru's head. "We're in a flying fortress called Ancor Vantian. It looks like ancient ruins but it's been painstakingly developed and constructed over several decades by the Land of Sky. It's the ultimate weapon of destruction."
"What are you doing here? Didn't those kunai hurt you at all?" Naruto glared at Shinnou.; he was just as suspicious as Namiko was.
"Ah yes, well, that was child's play to convince the likes of Sakura and Hinata that I was dead," explained Shinnou casually, "then I revived my damaged organs using my Body Activation Jutsu."
"Jutsu?" Namiko stepped next to Naruto. 'That must be what Orochimaru wants from Shinnou. It would extend the life of his body…' the thought sent a chill down Namiko's spine.
"Hey, haven't you been talking pretty strange? What are you doing here? You came in order to beat these guys up, right?" asked Naruto.
"Oh, you still haven't caught on yet?" Shinnou stood, grabbing Amaru by the head. "Obviously I'm not going against my closest allies. Fourteen years ago, I traveled the world, masquerading as a doctor, infiltrating villages all over the world in order to find a way to control the Reibi." He tossed Amaru away from him and Namiko swiftly caught her.
"You mean, you've been tricking us this whole time?" snapped Naruto.
"It took thirteen years to find the scroll that would allow me to resurrect the beast, but finally I found it in Konoha, and I have mastered the Reibi and its vast power of dark chakra!"
'That explains so much right now. I can feel it oozing from his chakra, but there's a bigger mass of that same dark chakra below us which concerns me far more.' Namiko thought as Amaru pushed away from her and ran over to Naruto.
"Wait, Naruto! He's not behaving like himself, Shinnou-sama has to be sick, right?" Amaru's voice was panicked and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Wrong diagnosis, Amaru. If you think I've got crazy, you're mistaken. If anything, what's crazy is how I've been acting until now." Shinnou chuckled darkly. "When darkness is born in people's hearts, they can become possessed by the Reibi. It can take the darkness from their hearts and convert it into actual chakra. Once I understood that, it was quite simple. People who are overcome by despair…when they are ruled by sadness, people focus great anger and hatred at the source of their misery and it creates the darkest of chakras."
'I've seen that in myself…and Sasuke…though he's been changing over the last few months,' thought Namiko as she felt his chakra nearby, 'Thank God it seems like Sasuke is here now…though I have no idea how he got here when we're in a building in the air.'
A disturbing grin came over Shinnou's face as he stared right at Amaru. "I ordered the attack on your village so you would become possessed by the Reibi."
"No! You're lying…aren't you?" Amaru was in obvious shock.
"You were nothing more to me than a pawn in my plan," Shinnou cackled with malicious laughter. "Once you save a person's life, they will never doubt anything you do."
Amaru gripped her head as she screamed and cried at the realization. Namiko felt the chakra around Shinnou begin to increase. The man stared at his hands intensely. "Oooh, there it is. I can feel it…dark chakra coursing through my body."
"You're going to pay." Naruto held Amaru in his arms and turned to Namiko. "Take Amaru and move out of the way. I've got this."
"Be careful, nii-chan," she warned as she took Amaru into her arms. "This dark chakra is similar to the kyuubi's chakra, but something is different that I can't put my finger on."
"Understood." Once Namiko moved Amaru to the edge of the room, Naruto ran toward Shinnou. "I'll never forgive you for this!" Before he could make contact with Shinnou, dark chakra pushed Naruto back, throwing him like a ragdoll. Namiko focused on Amaru since she could sense that Naruto was still quite conscious and unhurt.
"Dark chakra isn't only used to awaken the Reibi, it can be used for other things…like this!" Shinnou shouted as darkness surrounded him. His body became extremely muscular and his hair was now a dark brown, as if he'd made himself thirty years younger. "That is the Body Activation Jutsu. In this colossal body, I can open up all Eight Inner Gates, including the Gate of Death."
Naruto quickly got to his feet and made Multiple Shadow Clones as he attacked. Shinnou tore through the clones like tissue paper and threw Naruto back against the wall. Naruto kept attacking over and over again using Shadow Clones, but Shinnou was able to resist most damage, even damage done by the Rasengan was instantly repaired. Shinnou released some sort of attack that reminded Namiko of Rasengan and Naruto slammed into the throne, breaking parts of it.
"Come on, hit me! Hit me with the dark power that's inside you," taunted Shinnou. "The Reibi told me, you have something sleeping inside you that would entertain me, as does that girl over there."
Namiko froze. She was too weak to fight against Shinnou, and if he decided to attack her, she'd have no choice but to rely on the kyuubi. So she did the only thing she could think of and instantly used her Sealing Chains to put a barrier between Shinnou and her as she kept hold of Amaru who had gone nearly catatonic.
"No way. I'm not gonna use that. And you leave my sister out of this, this is between me and you! All I need is this fist!" Naruto charged toward Shinnou, punching him square in the jaw causing a large bruise.
Shinnou grabbed Naruto's wrist and restrained him. "That's all the power you can ever use against me. Humans are weak." The bruise on his face began to disappear. "They have no fangs or claws. All they can do is cry. Yet, somehow we managed to conquer the entire world."
"Do you know why?" snapped Shinnou as he got in Naruto's face. "Because humans are the most cruel!" He launched Naruto back beside Namiko.
Namiko looked over at her brother. "Nii-chan…are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just keep Amaru safe. Keep that barrier up unless I tell you to drop it." Namiko nodded at her brother.
"Love won't help you in this situation or any other point in life." Shinnou's voice interrupted them. "Am I wrong? Humans yearn to improve their condition. They join together and now they've achieved a higher status. And what power did they use to achieve it? It was certainly not love!"
"Just because you have some freaky jutsu to pump up your muscles doesn't give you the right to be high and mighty." Naruto scoffed as he stood and limped forward. "I'm going to sound cheesy, but all my sensei and my comrades and my sister…I love them. Do you hear me?! I love them with all my heart!" He charged again, only to be pushed back again.
Shinnou laughed again. "Answer me this: where did Amaru's so-called love get you? In the end, that's what created this whole mess."
"Shut up!" growled Naruto as he started forward before Shinnou slammed him to the ground with his dark chakra yet again.
Tears welled up in Amaru's eyes again. "…this is my fault…my power did this…"
"It'll take more than that!" Naruto ran forward again.
Shinnou punched and kicked Naruto like a toy. "Activation Fist!"
Blood spurted from Naruto's mouth at Shinnou's attack before he slid across the floor. "Naruto!" Amaru and Namiko both cried out as Namiko dropped her barrier before pulling him to her and slamming it back into place. Namiko focused on Naruto while Amaru glared at Shinnou.
"That's it Amaru. Don't lose that hate. Never forgive me." Shinnou laughed maniacally.
Amaru grabbed her scalpel from her hip pouch as Naruto moved to try and stand. "All your sadness and pain, it's not your fault. Don't worry, I'll take your pain on myself."
"No, I can end this whole mess right now." Amaru aimed the scalpel to her throat but Namiko shot out her hand and knocked it out of Amaru's hand.
Namiko looked at the younger girl with sympathy. "Ending your life is not the answer."
Naruto smiled softly. "Namiko is right, it's not an answer. You need to say goodbye. You never really got to do that, tell him how you feel."
"He was there for my firsts: the first time to praise me, teach me, guide me, the first time I wondered if I was pretty, and the first time I ever cared what someone thought of me. He was my world, all I could think about." Amaru looked over at Shinnou, tears shimmering on her cheeks. "I just wanted to be loved! I always loved you, doctor!"
Shinnou's laughter roared through the large room. However, it didn't last long as Naruto attacked Shinnou again with his Shadow Clones. Naruto hit Shinnou over and over again. "You may believe someone's love leads to darkness, but you're wrong, you can't destroy love! Ever!"
Naruto created a Rasengan and held it in his palm. "I told you, I'd never forgive you." Just as he threw it, a screeching noise filled the air, and a blinding light sparked, redirecting Naruto's Rasengan through the roof.
"Sasuke?" Naruto looked around for him.
Sasuke landed gracefully in front of Naruto. "You look like you got your ass kicked."
"Nice of you to show up after the fact," muttered Naruto.
Sasuke briefly smirked before putting on his blank 'mask' to address Shinnou. "After all this time, Orochimaru would like some assistance from you."
"My help? And if I refuse?" asked Shinnou. "Would you take me by force?"
"If that's how you wish it to be, then yes."
"Do you think I'm out of dark chakra?" Shinnou's eyes were crazed with power. "As long as there's darkness in people's hearts, my Body Activation Jutsu—"
"Go ahead and try it," interrupted Sasuke. "I won't stop you, be my guest." He flashed behind Shinnou and smacked him across the room. "Show me, what are you waiting for?"
"Sasuke, what are you doing?" asked Naruto.
Namiko released the barrier around her and Amaru and walked over to Naruto. "Trust him, Sasuke knows what he's doing." She smiled at Sasuke from across the room.
Shinnou decided to use his jutsu, but a few seconds into it, he doubled over in pain and his hair fell out. His body became frail and aged.
"What's wrong? Can't use your chakra?" Sasuke walked over to the older man. "I used my Sharingan to look at your entire chakra flow and cut it off with my Chidori Senbon. Don't worry, I won't kill you, but we will take you back to face Orochimaru."
Shinnou slowly stood and ran his finger down the wall behind him, opening a hidden compartment. "I highly doubt he wants me. This should be exactly what he's looking for." He pulled a scroll out and tossed it to Sasuke as he pulled a handle, plunging him through a trap door.
Sasuke walked over to the others. "I'm going after him."
"Not without me, you're not," said Naruto with his trademark grin. He glanced at Namiko and Amaru. "You two go rescue the villagers. Keep Hinata safe until I get there."
Namiko nodded. She wanted to ask why Naruto made the comment about Hinata but realized now was not the time. "You know I've got that, but both of you, please be careful, that dark chakra is intense…almost nauseating. I've only felt that with the kyuubi." She slyly ran a hand down Sasuke's forearm and hand, and he gave a quick squeeze in silent reassurance as they went their separate ways.
Namiko led Amaru down winding hallways and into the bottom of the structure where she felt Hinata's chakra. A large cell with glowing bars was before them. "Hinata!" called out Namiko as she stopped in front of the bars.
"Namiko." Hinata gave a weak smile. "Don't touch the bars; they absorb chakra."
"I figured as much. Where's the lock?" asked Namiko. Hinata pointed slowly up. Namiko used her Adamantine Chains to break the lock above them and the cell bars stopped glowing. Namiko and Amaru tugged on the door to the cell and it popped open. They ushered the villagers out of the cell and Hinata came out last.
Namiko pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry I left you! You and Kiba must be so angry with me!"
"Has being gone five months made you forget? I could never be mad at you!" Hinata hugged her back, tears threatening to fall. "I'm just glad to see you're safe."
"I'm fine. Sasuke has been taking good care of me and protecting me."
An explosion rocked the ancient ruins and Amaru piped up. "Okay, whatever is going on right now, we need to get out of here. Where do we go?"
Hinata activated her Byakugan. "There's one of those flying ships not too far from here."
Namiko smiled at her best friend. "Lead the way!"
Everyone followed Hinata to the ships and piled in. "How do we launch these things?" asked Amaru.
Hinata scanned again and pointed a few meters away. "The lever is over there."
Amaru ran to grab the lever but Namiko beat her to it. "I've got it, get on the boat."
Amaru hesitated. "What about you? How are you getting down? You can't fly!"
"Nope, I've got something better."
"Trust her." Hinata assured Amaru. She gave Namiko a sad smile. "You're not coming home, are you?"
Namiko returned the smile and shook her head. "I'm sorry but not yet, Hinata. Sasuke needs me right now." Rubble burst through between them as Naruto and Sasuke both appeared. "Nii-chan, hurry and get on the boat."
"Namiko, Sasuke, what about you two?" Naruto's eyes darted between them.
"We'll be fine, don't worry about it," said Sasuke dismissively. "Just get on, idiot."
Naruto hesitantly turned to walk away, but Namiko grabbed his wrist and yanked him into a hug, whispering in his ear, "Nii-chan, I promise, we'll be home soon. Both of us."
He hugged her back tightly as he looked over her shoulder to glare at Sasuke. "You better take good care of her, bastard, or you'll have to answer to me."
Sasuke smirked as the siblings broke apart. "I've got her, no matter what. Don't worry."
Naruto backed away slowly and jumped into the boat. Namiko pulled the lever, sending the boat down the ramp. They watched as it successfully floated into the air with Naruto waving like a madman. Namiko gave a small laugh. "I'd say that's 'mission accomplished' for both parties."
Sasuke looked down at her as the familiar flame pattern streaked across his skin. "Let's get out of here." He shrugged his arms out of his shirt and began to transform into Stage Two of the Curse Mark; his skin darkening, hair lengthening, and wings sprouting from his back.
Namiko's eyes went wide. "Is this how you got up here?" Sasuke nodded and she looked at the ground below. "You go ahead and fly down, then I can use Flying Raijin to come to you."
"You're a fool if you think I'm going to leave you up here by yourself. I can just carry you."
Namiko sighed in defeat. "Fine." She squealed in surprise as Sasuke picked her up bridal style like she was weightless. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest as he launched them from the ruins.
When they got a safe distance away, they noticed Sai fly past them on a drawing of a bird, smiling at them as he threw multiple Exploding Tags over Ancor Vantian. A few moments later, small explosions rang out and the ruins fell into the sea. Namiko looked down as they flew past everyone, and she could make out several familiar faces running to greet the ship that touched down, including Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Kurenai.
She moved a hand from her hold on his neck and waved at Kurenai who returned the gesture. Her normal happy expression fell and Sasuke noticed immediately. "You could've gone back to Konoha with them."
"No!" she nearly shouted in his ear, then blushed heavily at her own overenthusiasm. "I want to stay with you. I told you, I'm not leaving until I help you with Itachi, and then we're both coming home. Right?"
A smile tugged at his lips as he landed them, deactivated the Curse Mark, and they began walking. "Right. Any guys need to keep their hands to themselves though or…what?" He asked as she tried and failed to hide a giggle.
"Uchiha Sasuke, are you worried someone will try to steal me from you? There's no need to be possessive."
"I'm not possessive. I'm protective."
She smirked. "I do believe I remember you telling me you wanted me 'all to yourself' once or twice." Sasuke felt heat creep up the back of his neck and refused to comment, causing her to giggle again.
Sasuke and Namiko arrived back at the waterfall just as sunset was starting. They had decided to spend one more night there, free from Orochimaru and Kabuto. Namiko dug through her backpack for a moment before pulling out a small towel and soap. "I'm going to wash up a little. You can join me if you want," she said as she turned toward the lake.
Sasuke gestured over his shoulder. "I'm going to grab wood for a fire tonight, but I'll be right back." Namiko nodded and they went their separate ways.
Sasuke was walking back to the lake a few minutes later, lost in his thoughts. 'I'm hoping this scroll doesn't give him any major help. He hasn't been able to use much chakra lately, so it wouldn't surprise me if he plans on using this after he tries to take me over. But I'm not going to let it get that far. He's getting weaker and I'm getting stronger. Soon Namiko and I will be free—'
Sasuke froze in place. Namiko was washing her hair in the lake, stripped down to her bra and underwear. She lathered the soap through her hair, then dunked under the water to rinse it off. She saw Sasuke and motioned for him to join her. He cleared his throat and slowly removed all his clothes except his dark blue boxers. 'This is a bad idea. Thank God the water is cool.'
He waded over to her and she started to hand him the soap. "I realized my hair had a ton of dust in it from today, so I figured I might as well wash everything, especially since we have the perfect place to get clean." When he didn't move to take the soap from her, she touched his shoulder, pushing him gently to turn around, and he followed orders. She ran soap through his hair and started washing it.
Sasuke didn't say a word. He was honestly a little scared of what would come out of his mouth if he opened it. This was a mostly innocent act, but it held a huge temptation to become something more if he let it. And he was afraid if he let it, he wouldn't stop.
He rinsed off and she motioned him back around to face her. "Sasuke, are you okay?" He nodded slowly, his eyes trying to stay focused purely on her face. She stood on tiptoe in the water, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss but kept his hands plastered to his sides, even when her hands went to his shoulders.
Namiko easily noticed the shift in his body language to stiff and uncomfortable and pulled away. "I'm sorry, did I overstep?"
Sasuke closed his eyes, taking a slow deep breath. "No, I just don't want to hurt you or push you too far, and this could be a little more tempting to do more than what we've done before."
"What if I told you that I wanted more? Not everything, but more." She bit her lip nervously. "We can stop before it goes any further. I trust you, Sasuke. I know you'd stop if I asked."
"I don't want to take the chance to push you too far…"
"You won't! I told you before to stop babying me. I'm not a porcelain doll." Namiko placed her hands on her hips and looked at him determinedly. "I will not break if you touch me somewhere below my shoulders." She blushed deeply and avoided his eyes as she whispered, "In fact, I'd kind of prefer it…"
Sasuke grabbed her firmly by her naked waist to get her to look at him. "You're sure?" He stroked her side with his thumb, sending a chill up her spine and she nodded.
He captured her lips and pulled her fully against him, skin to skin. She ran her hands over his chest and shoulders as she kissed him back. His thumb climbed a bit higher on her torso, brushing the underside of her bra.
She pulled back from their kiss for a moment. "Sasuke, I want you to touch me." He cupped a hand over her chest and squeezed softly, causing her to take a deep breath.
"Too much?"
She shook her head. "Perfect."
He kissed her deeply again, continuing his caresses while sprinkling kisses and nips on her jaw and neck as well. He trailed his hands down to her backside and gave a firm squeeze, hoisting her up to wrap her legs around his waist while they continued to make out.
Namiko was enjoying the long overdue affection all too much and by the pressure she felt against her thigh in the water, Sasuke was too. She leaned back slightly as Sasuke continued to kiss her neck and collarbone, brushing against him, causing him to freeze for a split second and place her back down. He kissed her forehead gently before putting his forehead against hers. "We…should probably stop here."
Namiko tried to catch her breath. "Agreed."
"Can you take the wood I grabbed back to the cave? I need a few moments to…cool off."
"I can do that. See you in a bit." Namiko tried to hide her grin as she got out and got dressed.
Once she was out of sight, Sasuke sunk deeper into the water. 'This woman is going to kill me one of these days with the way she drives me crazy. Or I may just spontaneously combust.'
A/N: Whew! This was my longest chapter yet, at well over 7,000 words! I feel accomplished. I hope you guys are enjoying all the peppery fluff…and there's more to come. (There's also 2 pictures up for this chapter. If you're reading on FFN, links are in my profile.)
Yes, Sasuke and Namiko's relationship is progressing a lot quicker than Naruto and Hinata's. There's a couple of reasons for that, like personality differences and also time spent together.
See you all next week!
Love, Eriisu
PS: Comments are my tip jar! (I love reading them.)