Chapter Text
“TEME!,” Naruto screamed, leaping forth and catching Sasuke’s lean body as the frog muscles retreated and let go of the Uchiha. Behind the blonde, Jiraiya packed the scroll containing the weird black flames and watched in mild disgust as he took in the rapidly darkening bruises gracing Sasuke’s pale neck.
“Ero Sennin! What should we do?” Naruto called. For once Jiraiya didn’t object to the name the brat had given him. He was too busy trying to figure out the answer to the question Naruto had asked.
It wasn’t worth chasing after Kisame and Itachi now...not when the two were already so far away and Sasuke was clearly in dire need of medical attention.
Jiraiya moved forth to further assess the Uchiha’s injuries and shouted when a foot suddenly collided with his arm. With a war cry, Might Gai zipped forward and attacked.
“Ehhh, Intense Brow Sensei!?” Naruto called. “What’re you doin’ to Ero Sennin!?”
Gai let out a nervous laugh when he realized exactly who he had attacked. “Ah, in a fit of youthful passion I feared Master Jiraiya was the enemy!”
“Tch, never mind that now,” Jiraiya snapped, “take him back to the village, he needs medical attention.”
Gai finally looked down and cringed when he caught sight of Sasuke. Kakashi would murder him when he found out he had let his student chase after a S-rank criminal who happened to have a S-class partner with him.
The bruises on Sasuke looked even more horrendous on his silky pale skin, one of wrists were turned awkwardly-clearly broken-and Gai didn’t need to guest if Sasuke had broken ribs or not considering the boys choppy breathing.
“What exactly happened here?” Gai asked hurriedly as he easily hoisted Sasuke and secured the unconscious boy over his back. Jiraiya frowned and stared out the hole Itachi had blasted into the wall.
“Itachi used Tsukuyomi on him.” Jiraiya reported, “there’s a chance he’s in a coma.”
Gai frowned, the same technique Itachi used on Kakashi? There was no way Itachi was that cruel as to put his own baby brother through that mental hell. But then again considering what the elder Uchiha had done to his own clan...
“Ero Sennin…” Naruto started. He stared at Sasuke’s vulnerable form secured on Gai’s back and exhaled harshly.
Sasuke had been kinder in the past weeks. Probably due to the Konoha 12 grouping together into an overall group as a means to improve teamwork and hone their powers. Sakura and Ino’s friendship had rekindled, Shino and Hinata spoke more, Sasuke and Neji had started a tentative friendship, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Naruto goofed off like the Academy days, and TenTen and Lee passed their taijutsu and weaponry skills along eagerly.
Things had been so much better, less tense and encouraged by each team’s sensei.
But in the low lighted hallway, Sasuke had looked as hateful and furious as he did before the chunin exams. The Uchiha’s chidori crackled brighter than ever before and Naruto had damn near suffocated in the oppressive heat Sasuke gave off as his fire chakra swirled violently when Sasuke had charged down the hall with more killer intent than Naruto thought he possessed.
But Itachi just caught it. And the snap that followed echoed through the hall and straight into the deepest parts of Naruto’s memory. Sasuke had grunted, a yelp of pain hitching in his throat but not quite escaping.
A back and forth between Naruto and Kisame, and sooner than the blonde could notice his best friend was held up a wall by one of Itachi’s graceful hands. The screams came soon after.
How the hell was he going to explain to their friends that Sasuke’s brother was a psycho, mass murderer that could stop dangerous attacks with one hand and cause the most stoic person Naruto knew...to scream.
The girls would be horrified, the boys would demand an explanation Naruto couldn’t fully give them, Kaka-Sensei-
What would Kakashi say!?
The silver haired jonin had been a lot more protective ever since Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had come out of the Forest of Death looking like hell.
“One of his lungs must be pierced.” Jiraiya noted, watching the slow trail of blood continue to drip from Sasuke’s mouth.
Gai nodded once more before shooting off.
How the hell would he explain this to the rest of the kids? To Kakashi?