Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.

–Plato

—-----------------------------------------

Both of them were breathing heavily, bloodied, bruised, and probably broken in a few places. Sasuke would never admit it, but he was starting to worry that he’d met his match. Long gone was dead last, the incompetent, weak, useless academy student. Now, Naruto was a fierce opponent, matching Sasuke blow for blow, once he realized that Sasuke was serious about killing him. When he’d stopped holding back, when the mysterious red chakra had surrounded him, it had admittedly made Sasuke’s heart pound with excitement. A worthy opponent. It was almost a shame that he had to die. 

Naruto was snarling at him, his eyes red and pupils slitted in a way that was definitely not human. Neither was the way that he stalked on all fours, his fingernails sharpened into claws. He’d seen something like this once before, when they’d fought Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, but this power hadn’t been directed at him. The feeling of this strange chakra in the air, sizzling and corrosive as it might be, was nowhere near the feeling of it searing his skin. 

“You stubborn bastard!” Naruto growled, his voice lower and more guttural than Sasuke had ever heard it. “I’ll drag you back home, even if I have to break every bone in your body!” 

Home. Was Konoha really his home? He’d felt detached from it ever since his clan had been destroyed. He’d become an outsider, an avenger. The last Uchiha, pitied by some, scorned by others. Cursed clan , he heard when he walked down the street, or poor thing on some occasions. Both made him furious. None of them understood what he felt, what he’d been through. He didn’t want their judgment, nor their pity. He’d always been in Itachi’s shadow, the younger brother of a genius prodigy. And apparently even now, with the murderous traitor long gone, he would still only ever be Itachi’s little brother. The clan killer’s brother. He hated it. He hated them . He hated Itachi. He hated Naruto for thinking he could understand any of Sasuke’s pain. The pain of losing his family, his clan, how could someone like Naruto ever understand? 

So Sasuke told him that. He screamed it as they clashed, as his Sharingan fully developed. And he repeated it in his mind like a mantra, shoving down the part of him that protested killing his self-admitted best friend. Naruto would never, could never understand him. He would never understand Sasuke’s pain, or why his entire existence was dedicated to killing his brother. No one would, and that’s why he couldn’t go back. He couldn’t go back to that useless village that had left him alone after his family was killed. He couldn’t go back to letting a loser like Naruto surpass him. No, he had to get stronger, and Orochimaru was the only option. 

Their fight was brutal, and destructive. They reshaped the valley itself with their punches, and decimated the earth with their kicks. His chidori, and Naruto’s rasengan might demolish this place to rubble as they collide. But still, Naruto insisted that he was going to defeat Sasuke and take him back to Konoha. 

As they parted, landing on the water’s surface with a practiced grace, Sasuke spat blood. Naruto remained crouched in front of him, those red, animalistic eyes staring him down. Something about seeing Naruto still fighting, so unwilling to give up made Sasuke furious all over again. 

“Why do you care so much?!” He snapped. 

Naruto growled in return, “I already told you, dumbass, you’re my friend!” 

Sasuke’s fists clenched. “And that’s why I need to break this bond. You’re going to die here, Naruto,” he responded coldly. 

“Ugh, just shut up!” Naruto snarled. “Why are you acting like such an ass?!” He bared his teeth, all of his muscles bunched and ready to strike. “I don’t get how you can just turn your back on everyone!” 

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Naruto didn’t get him. He never would. “That’s why. You’ll never understand me, or my pain. I told you that.” 

Surprisingly, Naruto laughed at that. “Are you still going on about that?” He shook his head. “You’re right. I’ll never know what it feels like to lose my family. But you know what, Sasuke?” His eyes narrowed. “You’ll never get what it feels like to be hated . To be treated like a monster. To be hungry and lonely and wishing someone, anyone would just notice how much you’re hurting.”

He didn’t stop shouting, refusing to let Sasuke get a word in. “You’ll never know how it feels to have strangers throw you into the dirt, to hurt you when they know you can’t fight back. To try and kill you when you were barely old enough to know how to run away!” His red chakra flared as his anger rose. “I didn’t have a family, or a clan, I had no one! Everyone treated me like shit, and no one would tell me why!” He gestured to himself. “Do you get it now, Sasuke? The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi in me, he made me a monster to everyone else. No one saw me as me , they saw the stupid fox!” Naruto shook his head angrily. “So no, Sasuke, I have no idea what it feels like to lose my family, because no one wanted me!” 

There was a deafening silence as Naruto finished yelling. Sasuke was too stunned to speak. He could only stare at the other boy as the pieces of the puzzle finally came together. It was almost laughably obvious once he thought about it. Naruto’s red chakra was even forming long ears and a tail, and he hadn’t thought anything of it. Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside him, and Sasuke had never known. 

Much quieter, Naruto spoke again, his voice was steely. “We’ve all got baggage, Sasuke. That’s not an excuse to act like an ass.” 

Frowning, Sasuke looked down at the water below. Blood dripped from a wound on his face into the waiting pool with a plopping sound. He stared down at his reflection, contemplating the new information. It simultaneously answered so many questions, and raised so many more. This was why Naruto had been shunned, that much was clear. What Sasuke didn’t understand was how the hell he still had so much faith in a village that treated him so poorly?

He asked Naruto as much. “Why do you want to stay there, then? You should hate them.” 

That made Naruto pause. The red chakra tail swished around him. “Because there are still good people, and they’re worth protecting.” His expression softened just a little. “Old man Hokage, before he died, Iruka-sensei, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, you, our classmates. Teuchi, and the nice lady at the corner shop that always sneaks me extra candy. Now I’ve got Granny Tsunade and Pervy Sage too.”

Sasuke scoffed. “How many people on that list have hurt you?” 

“People change,” Naruto replied, looking at Sasuke far too hopefully. “Like Iruka-sensei. He didn’t used to be very nice to me, but now he’s like family. He almost died for me.” He fixed Sasuke with a meaningful stare. “ You almost died for me. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” 

It did, and that’s why Sasuke needed to kill him. But hearing Naruto talk about his upbringing, his suffering, made it harder for Sasuke to want to do it. Instead, it made him want to grab Naruto by the shoulders and shake him until he realized he was fighting for people that wouldn’t do the same for him. How could he just forgive and forget all the horrible things that had been done to him? Sakura, who insulted him and hit him, yet he still followed her around like a lost puppy. The Sandaime, who must have known about the Kyuubi, meaning he had lied to him his whole life, yet Naruto still thought of him as some kind of grandfatherly figure. Even Sasuke, who was literally trying to kill him, and Naruto still wouldn’t leave him be. 

“I guess I’m the one that doesn’t understand,” Sasuke finally responded. “I don’t understand how you can just forget what they’ve all done to you.” 

“I haven’t,” Naruto snapped quickly, his voice lowering again. “I just choose to see the good instead of the bad.” His eyes seemed to briefly flick back to blue. “I see the good in you too, Sasuke.” 

Naruto took a step forward, prompting Sasuke to step back into a defensive stance. However, he made no move to attack. His angry, red chakra was starting to fade, and his claws were retracting back into blunt nails. He stood upright, extending a hand toward Sasuke. All that remained of the Kyuubi’s influence was a pair of slitted, red eyes. 

“Come home, Sasuke. We can figure this out together.” His hand remained extended. 

There was that word again. Home . He looked away from his teammate. “That place hasn’t been home since the day my family was killed.” Sasuke looked back at Naruto and sneered, “So what’s your plan, then? You knock me out and drag me back to the village, and then what? Do you think I’ll just sit quietly once you’ve forced me back there against my will?” 

Naruto looked startled. “No, I–” 

Sasuke didn’t let him continue. “Listen to me, Naruto. If you do somehow manage to get the better of me today and take me back, that’s not the end of it. I don’t want to be there, do you understand?” He fought back angry tears. “If you take me back to the village now, you better be prepared to do it over and over again, because I refuse to stay put. You’ll have to lock me up if you don’t want me to leave again!” 

His heart was pounding with the admission. Part of it was adrenaline, and part of it was fear that Naruto really would do such a thing. His instincts told him that Naruto would never do something like that, but he wasn’t completely sure. Sasuke knew his sanity wouldn’t survive if he was locked away somewhere. 

“That’s not what I want,” Naruto whispered, his voice barely audible over the sounds of running water. 

“Then let me go,” Sasuke insisted. “Because there’s nothing for me in Konoha anymore.” 

Finally, Naruto’s eyes faded back to blue. He stumbled, one foot falling into the water and getting drenched, before he was able to get control of his chakra again. His arm fell limply at his side. He looked exhausted, wincing in pain and barely staying upright. Sasuke wondered how much the Kyuubi’s chakra had taken out of him. He briefly contemplated attacking again, while Naruto was weak and his defenses were down, but he held back. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t feel like he really wanted to kill Naruto anymore, and he wasn’t sure if he actually could (physically or mentally) if it came down to it. However, he knew Naruto would come after him again if he didn’t, so convincing him to leave would be better for both of them.

“What about Team 7?” Naruto’s face fell. “What about me ?” 

There was a time when Sasuke despised Naruto. He despised his too bright wardrobe, and his loud mouth, and his constant need to prove himself. But he couldn’t pretend that was still the case, could he? He’d already admitted that Naruto was his best friend. No matter what kind of conflicting emotions he felt, he knew they shared some kind of bond. 

Sasuke sighed, letting his Sharingan fade to indicate that they had indeed found a truce. With the battle seeming to be over, he too felt exhaustion seep into his bones. “Go home, Naruto. There is no Team 7 anymore.” 

Naruto, the big baby, actually started crying. He frantically wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, trying to hide it, but it was painfully obvious. “How can you go to that creepy snake?” He sniffled. “He’s just using you to get your body as a vessel!” 

“I’m not an idiot,” Sasuke snapped. “I know what he wants, but I don’t care. I need him to train me.” 

Naruto was still sniffling. “Why? Why can’t Kakashi-sensei teach you?” 

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his eyes closed in frustration. He felt like he was just going to go around in circles with Naruto. “Konoha can’t make me strong enough to kill Itachi. Orochimaru can.” 

“I can’t just let you go,” Naruto admitted. Sasuke started to brace himself for another fight, but Naruto didn’t move. “I promised Sakura I’d bring you home.” 

With a snort, Sasuke replied, “If the only reason you’re fighting me is to appease Sakura, then you should just let me kill you now for being so pathetic.” 

Naruto’s head snapped up. His eyes were red rimmed and full of tears. “Can you stop being a bastard for two seconds? What do you have against Sakura anyway?” 

Sasuke shrugged. “She’s annoying. She could probably be strong, if she stopped caring so much about what I thought of her, and cared more about fighting for herself.” He crossed his arms. “She’s never going to feel the same way about you that you do about her. So stop doing every little thing she asks of you just to get her attention.” Probably a low blow, but Naruto needed to hear it. 

Unsurprisingly, Naruto did not appreciate what Sasuke said. However, the part he seemed to focus on was unexpected. “That’s not why I’m here, bastard!” He clenched his fists at his sides. “Yeah, I made promises to Sakura but…” He swallowed hard. “That's not why I want to bring you home. It just, I don’t know, reinforces it, I guess. I want to bring you home because you’re my friend and you’re about to do something stupid.” 

“I told you it’s not going to happen,” Sasuke hissed.

They stared each other down, neither blinking nor willing to back off. “I told you I can’t just let you go. You know I can’t.” He shook his head sadly. “I can’t let you go to that snake, knowing what he wants to do to you. How do you expect me to just go on with my life, while he’s doing who knows what to you?” 

That admission actually caught Sasuke off guard. He wanted to search for the lie, but he knew there was none. Naruto was many things, but he wasn’t a liar. In fact, the few times he’d tried to lie, it was painfully obvious. Naruto…cared. About Sasuke. It should make him angry, but for some reason, it didn’t. He’d thought Naruto was just trying to take him back out of some messed up obligation to Sakura, or the village. 

“I can handle myself,” Sasuke replied coolly. 

“I know.” Naruto shrugged. “But I’ll still worry. I just…don’t like seeing you hurt so much,” he admitted. 

When they’d fought Haku and Zabuza in Wave Country, Sasuke had told Naruto the reason he jumped in front of Haku’s attack was because his body moved on its own. And it was the truth. It had been instinct; protect your comrade. He didn’t have time to think, or to plan. He just moved on instinct. Sasuke felt a similar sensation tugging at him. There was an obvious solution at the tip of his tongue, and it seemed to tumble out before he could stop it. 

“Come with me, then.” 

Naruto’s face scrunched up in disbelief. “What?” 

“Come with me,” Sasuke repeated. 

Naruto huffed out a laugh. “Are you serious? So we can both become missing nin?” He shook his head. “You’re crazy.” 

Sasuke scoffed at him. “Just think about it. You say that you won’t stop chasing me, and I’m telling you that I won’t stop running. If you come with me, we both get what we want.” 

“How the hell does following you to the creepy snake guy get me what I want?” Naruto countered. 

“Because,” Sasuke explained carefully, “you’ll know where I am, and what I’m doing. And I won’t have to deal with you trying to drag me back to the village. Also,” he added, pointing to the curse mark on his neck, “this is a seal. Orochimaru obviously has at least some knowledge of fuuinjutsu.” 

“So?” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto could be so oblivious. Did he really want to invite this idiot along? “ So ,” he explained sharply, “I’m guessing you have some kind of seal keeping the Kyuubi in you, right?” 

Naruto’s eyes widened in understanding. “Yeah, I do. But I’m pretty sure I don’t want the snake bastard messing with it. He did something to it during the Chunin Exams that felt awful .” 

“I’m not saying to let him mess with it, moron,” Sasuke clarified. “I just mean that he probably has some knowledge about it. Maybe he can figure out how to take the Kyuubi out. Or maybe there’s a way to control it all the time, like you were doing today.” 

“That sounds like ‘messing with it’ to me,” Naruto muttered under his breath, but Sasuke could tell that his interest was piqued. 

He better sweeten the deal. “Plus, I doubt Orochimaru will keep you from looking into stuff about the Kyuubi. Can you say the same about Konoha?” 

Sasuke really didn’t know why he was trying so hard to get Naruto to come with him. He’d just been convincing Naruto that he didn’t need him, hadn’t he? It was because Naruto had the Kyuubi’s power, right? It was the only logical reason that his subconscious would be pushing so hard to get Naruto to agree to this. He could use an ally like that when he took on Itachi. It had been made painfully clear to him that Itachi was on a whole different level than him. There was also the added bonus that apparently the organization he was with was looking for Naruto. It might help lure him out if Naruto stuck around. Yes, that was an absolutely logical reason for his insistence. 

Naruto was shifting nervously. “I…I don’t want to hurt the village.” 

“I’m not asking you to.” 

“But that snake bastard killed the Hokage!” Naruto snapped. “He tried to destroy Konoha!” 

Sasuke shrugged. “Yeah, he did.” He wouldn’t deny the truth. 

“What if I decide I want to go back?” 

Another shrug. “I won’t stop you. Do what you want.” 

The times when Naruto was deep in thought, like now, his face scrunched up like he was in pain. It always made Sasuke tease him that using his brain was painful. But not now. Now was not the time to butt in, or make a joke. Naruto was weighing his options, and he was clearly putting a lot of thought into it. 

“This is an awful idea,” Naruto grumbled, but he didn’t decline the offer. 

“Then go back.” Sasuke didn’t miss a beat. “But I won’t be going with you, so either fight me, or leave if you aren’t going to come with me.” 

Naruto glared at him, then threw his arms up in exasperation. “Fine! You win, bastard!” He jabbed a finger at his friend. “I’ll go with you, but only so I can be there to say ‘I told you so’ when you realize what a shit idea this is! And then we’ll both go back to Konoha together!” 

Sasuke smirked in response. “Whatever you say, idiot. Don’t blame me when you get homesick and leave after the first day.” 

“What?! I’m not gonna cave so easily!” 

This time, Sasuke was the one to offer his hand. Naruto eyed him warily, but stumbled forward and grasped it. They stood there for a few moments, squeezing each other’s hands and not saying anything. Then, both of them pulled their hands back like they’d been burned, looking away from each other awkwardly. Naruto stumbled past him, not looking him in the eyes. 

“Ugh, I’m getting off of the water before I fall in,” he grumbled. 

Naruto was definitely struggling to maintain the chakra in his feet to keep himself above water. He was starting to dip, and he barely made it to shore before he fell forward onto his hands and knees. Sasuke tried to put on a show of acting tough, but he knew he wasn’t faring much better. He was limping and bleeding as he dragged himself to shore. Naruto had really done a number on him. He collapsed in a heap next to Naruto as soon as he was next to him. Both of them glanced at each other, and then burst into a fit of laughter without warning. 

The sheer ridiculousness of the situation seemed to hit them both, and then they were both laying on their backs, laughing and staring up at the darkening sky. He had tried to kill Naruto, and now Naruto was following him blindly to the snake’s lair. What a moron. 

But was Sasuke any better? He had insisted that he didn’t need anyone, and yet he’d fought tooth and nail to get Naruto to come with him. He’d felt relief when Naruto finally relented. So really, who was the fool here? 

Raindrops started to fall, prompting both of them to sit up with pained groans. Rain would help cover their tracks from pursuers, but it would also make travel incredibly unpleasant. They also wouldn’t be moving fast with their injuries and depleted chakra. Really, they were lucky to both still be conscious, and it was obvious that Naruto’s eyes were starting to droop with exhaustion. With a sigh, Sasuke managed to locate the pack he’d stashed before their fight started. He was lucky that he’d happened to hide it near the spot where they’d ended up. Naruto narrowed his eyes as Sasuke stood up, probably waiting for him to make a break for it, but he didn’t move. Sasuke returned quickly with the pack, tossing some bandages and meager food rations at his companion. Naruto didn’t manage to catch them and the bandage roll hit him in the face, prompting a string of nasty profanity. 

In silence, they tended to their wounds and quickly scarfed down a little food and water. It wasn’t much, but it would hopefully last them long enough to get away from whoever would be sent to pursue them (probably Kakashi). They helped bandage each other, falling back into familiar routines from their time together on Team 7. Naruto looked like an absolute mess, and Sasuke was sure he was even worse. Incredibly, many of Naruto’s worst wounds seemed to already be closing. He had noticed that Naruto seemed to heal quickly, but this was inhuman. It must be the Kyuubi. Still, Kyuubi or not, Naruto’s clothes were torn and he was covered in quickly drying blood and fresh bruises. They would need to clean up before trying to enter any towns to avoid drawing too much suspicion. But that could be dealt with later. 

The rain had started to pick up, washing away blood droplets that had started to stain the ground beneath them. The evidence of their battle was obvious, with the fresh crevices and damage to the valley’s very foundation. However, their tracks were being quickly washed away, lucky for them. 

Sasuke was ready to leave, and Naruto seemed to understand. He finished tying off a final bandage on his arm, then stood up with a wince. Sasuke nodded at him, almost ready to depart. There was just one more thing left to do, to seal his status as a rogue nin. 

His hands were trembling from cold and pain as Sasuke reached up to undo the knot on his forehead protector. Naruto made a questioning noise as Sasuke pulled it off of his head. He looked down at it, at the symbol of his loyalty to Konoha. His battered face was reflected in the cool metal, staring impassively back at him. Without another thought, Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his belt and slashed it through the metal. Then, he chucked the forehead protector as far as he could into the water. It landed with a heavy splash.

“What the hell was that?” Naruto questioned, looking at Sasuke like he’d grown another head. 

Sasuke gestured to the water in front of him. “Your turn.” 

Naruto seemed incredibly offended at the idea. “No way! Iruka-sensei gave me this, I can’t throw it away!” 

Sasuke gave him a flat look. “Naruto, do you not understand what we’re doing here? We’re about to break our alliance with Konoha and become rogue nin.” 

“I know that,” Naruto muttered incredulously. “But that doesn’t mean we have to throw them away. We earned them!” He made a shadow clone and sent it off toward where Sasuke had thrown the item. The clone looked at both of them irritably, then jumped in. Naruto didn’t have enough chakra left to water walk so the clone had to swim. 

The clone retrieved the headband easily enough, and returned soaking wet. He glared at Sasuke and Naruto in turn, before handing it off to the original and then poofing away. Naruto grumbled something under his breath, then shoved Sasuke’s forehead protector into his pocket. Then, he reached up toward his own head and hesitated. Sasuke barely kept himself from snapping at Naruto to hurry up. He knew that Naruto had worked hard to pass his graduation exam, so it probably meant a lot to him, especially if Iruka gave it to him. 

Eventually, Naruto followed Sasuke’s lead and undid the knot on his headband. He hesitated again before pulling it off completely. Naruto held it tightly, then shoved it in his pocket next to Sasuke’s. He swallowed hard but didn’t say anything. Sasuke nodded at him, then gestured for his companion to follow. Naruto looked back in the direction of the village one last time, and Sasuke almost wondered if he was going to change his mind. 

But he didn’t. Naruto tore his gaze away from the general direction of Konoha, where his friends were, the only home either of them had ever known, and he followed after Sasuke without saying a word. 

—-----------------------------------------

Kakashi didn’t know what to expect when Pakkun led him to the site of his students’ battle, but finding nothing never crossed his mind. They’d clearly been here, and they’d been fighting hard. The valley was littered with evidence of their battle, but neither of the boys were anywhere to be found. Kakashi had his ninken search every inch of the valley, and he even searched underwater for remains (he didn’t want to think too much about that possibility). The rain had washed away any footprints and scents that might have allowed Pakkun to continue tracking them. Kakashi had expected to find at least one of them here, but he couldn’t predict what state they’d be in. Sasuke seemed determined to kill Naruto, though he really hoped the young Uchiha wouldn’t actually be able to go through with it. If Sasuke had succeeded, there should be a body. If Naruto was victorious, why wasn’t he waiting here with Sasuke? 

“They’re long gone, boss.” Pakkun sat next to him, looking away as if ashamed at his lack of progress. “I can’t track them in this mess, but I feel pretty certain that neither of them are around here. We should still be able to find a scent if they were close.” 

Kakashi nodded in agreement. “Keep looking. See if you can figure out which way they went.” He kept saying “they”, but he didn’t know if he was looking for one or two of his students. 

Knowing Naruto, he was either with Sasuke, or he was trying to go back to the village but got himself lost. Except, if he was with Sasuke, why weren’t they here? Why would they go somewhere together that wasn’t back toward the village? Was it possible that Sasuke succeeded in killing Naruto, and had taken his body for some reason? Kakashi didn’t want to consider that, but he had to. He had to assume that one of them could be dead. And if one of them was dead, it would most likely be Naruto. Not because he was a pushover by any means, especially considering Kakashi definitely felt the Kyuubi’s chakra a while ago, but because Naruto would never kill Sasuke. But Sasuke? He wanted to believe that he wouldn’t kill his teammate, but he wasn’t so sure. He was so obsessed with power and revenge, and that damn curse mark seemed to be only making things worse. 

Pakkun returned to his side again. “Still nothing. What do you want us to do?” 

He couldn’t go back without knowing what happened. “Fan out, increase the search radius.” The pug nodded, and he heard all of his ninken take off through the mud and rain into the surrounding woods. 

Kakashi slowly stumbled after Pakkun. He felt numb, and it was making it hard to focus on the task at hand. He’d failed them, both of them. He let Sasuke get lost in his thirst for vengeance, and Naruto…he didn’t even know. Naruto could be dead. He could be bleeding out somewhere, run through by the technique Kakashi taught Sasuke. It was only fitting for friend-killer Kakashi, wasn’t it? If Minato-sensei could see him now, what would he say, knowing how Kakashi had let his son down? 

The ninken and Kakashi searched nonstop until the sun set, then rose again. He didn’t know how far he’d gone, but they’d barely found a trace of the missing boys. Occasionally they’d find a clue that at least one of the boys had come through the forest; the hint of a footprint, or a branch that was probably cracked under the weight of a shinobi on the run. But they couldn’t tell who it was, nor where they were going. 

Eventually, Kakashi doubled back to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. As he made his way back to the valley, he felt briefly hopeful when he noticed an obvious presence up ahead, but it became obvious very quickly that it was not either of his wayward students. It was familiar, and not necessarily unwelcome, but not who he was looking for. 

Without a word, Kakashi made his way back into the valley and landed next to his waiting comrade. It had been easy to spot the bright green from a distance away, and his companion was not making any effort to remain hidden. Kakashi stared out across the water, looking up at the statues of Madara and Hashirama. Had Naruto and Sasuke’s battle been similarly grand? Or had they devolved into two children squabbling like they did in the old days? 

Gai cleared his throat when Kakashi didn’t say anything. “My dear rival, has your search thus far truly been unfruitful?” 

“It has,” Kakashi confirmed. “They’re both just gone.” 

“What, together?” 

Kakashi shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know why Naruto would go anywhere else, unless it was with Sasuke.” 

“Why would young Naruto leave in the first place?” Gai questioned. 

And it was a very good question to ask. “I don’t know.”

Gai was uncharacteristically serious. “Is it possible Sasuke could have taken him captive?” 

“I want to say that Sasuke wouldn’t do something like that, but I think that would be a lie.” The words were bitter in his mouth, but he knew they were true. It was definitely a possibility that Sasuke had captured Naruto, for whatever reason. Maybe as leverage against the village, or on Orochimaru’s orders? 

A hand squeezed Kakashi’s shoulder. “I am very sorry, my friend. I know that you care deeply for your students.” 

Kakashi shook his head. “I didn’t do enough. I didn’t give Naruto enough attention. I didn’t give Sasuke the support he needed. I didn’t even take Sakura seriously.” He looked away from Gai. “I failed them. All of them.” 

“You did your best,” Gai insisted. “You were not given an easy team.” 

Kakashi shrugged his hand off. “It doesn’t matter. Their mistakes are my failures.” 

With a sigh, Gai backed off and let Kakashi mope. He knew that trying to convince him of something he didn’t want to believe was completely useless. “I was sent to recall you,” Gai explained. 

“I haven’t completed my mission,” Kakashi said dryly. 

“Maybe not today,” Gai pressed, “but you will, eventually.” He motioned for Kakashi to follow him. “Let us return home. You look like you’ve searched every inch of these woods. We need to regroup.” 

Kakashi still hesitated. “I can’t just leave.” 

“Kakashi,” Gai said seriously. “There’s nothing else you can do right now. We know Sasuke intended to leave the village. So if Naruto isn’t here, he either did the same, or he’s dead.” 

The bluntness made Kakashi wince, but he knew Gai was right. He just didn’t want to hear it. “It just doesn’t make sense. Naruto would never abandon the village, and if he was really dead, why can’t we find him anywhere?” 

Gai offered one of his trademark grins. “Perhaps he started heading back toward the village!” 

It was unlikely he really expected Kakashi to believe what he was saying, despite his typical upbeat attitude. Still, it was really the only option they had right now. Gai was right about needing to regroup. Kakashi could stay here and keep looking forever, but he probably wouldn’t find anything. If he couldn’t figure out where Sasuke and Naruto had gone now, while everything was fresh, he wouldn’t be able to do it after days of rain and wind. 

“Yeah, maybe he did,” Kakashi replied halfheartedly. 

Kakashi finally dismissed his poor, exhausted ninken, except for Pakkun who insisted on staying with him. “I’ll keep my nose to the ground and my ears open on the way back in case I notice anything,” he offered. 

He was grateful to the little ninken, and gave him a pat on the head. Gai offered a sad thumbs up, then started heading back toward the village. Kakashi followed closely behind him, but let his senses wander. He wanted to hold out hope that he’d notice Naruto’s presence somewhere. Maybe he really had just gotten lost trying to get back to the village. It wouldn’t exactly be out of character for him. 

The scenery flew by, and Kakashi didn’t notice anything. Neither did Pakkun. Before he knew it, he felt dead on his feet as he stood in front of the village’s gates. He didn’t want to take the final few steps. It would be admitting that he returned to the village without either of his students. As long as he didn’t step through, he could pretend he was still on his mission. There was still time to find them. Gai wasn’t even bothering to mask his pity as he clapped Kakashi on the shoulder. 

To make matters worse, Kakashi heard a very familiar, “Kakashi-sensei!” 

Briefly, he contemplated disappearing. He could outrun Sakura easily, and indefinitely if he really wanted to. But he shouldn’t do that to her. He’d already failed her enough. 

Sakura was running toward him, waving, and looking hopeful. She skidded to a halt and her face immediately fell as she noticed that Kakashi was alone. She looked around, like she was hoping one of her teammates would suddenly appear. Kakashi wondered which one of the boys she really wanted to see. He knew she had a crush on Sasuke, but she and Naruto had also been growing closer. He hadn’t paid much attention to their relationships or personal dynamics, and now he was wondering if he should have. Would he have noticed Sasuke slipping away earlier if he had just bothered to look closer?

There were already tears in Sakura’s eyes. “Where are they? Why aren’t either of them with you?” 

Kakashi hung his head, not wanting to look her in the eyes. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, Sakura. I let all of you down.” 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” She snapped. The tears were falling freely, but Kakashi didn’t know if they were out of anger, fear, or sadness. Probably all three. “Naruto left to find Sasuke, did he find him or not?” 

“I think so. There was evidence that they fought each other.” 

Sakura swallowed hard. “Is…is Naruto ok?” Her voice was small. 

It was clear that she was recalling a recent memory, where Sasuke had goaded Naruto into fighting and then gone for the kill. When she’d almost gotten between them, Kakashi had barely made it in time. She was smart, she knew what Sasuke was capable of. And he could see in her eyes that she was wondering if she’d sent her friend to his death when she’d asked him to bring Sasuke back. Truthfully, Kakashi was wondering the same thing, but he would never tell her that. They were just kids, it wasn’t their fault. It was Kakashi’s. 

“I really don’t know, I’m sorry,” he admitted. “Both of them were just gone.” 

The last member of Team 7 was processing the information. She was still sniffling, her eyes dripping fresh tears, but she was clearly calculating. “So they could be somewhere together,” she reasoned. 

“It’s possible.” Kakashi sighed. “Really, it’s probably the best case scenario.” 

Sakura nodded. “Because otherwise, why wouldn’t Naruto have come back, right? Unless he couldn’t…” she grimaced at the thought. 

Kakashi was quickly realizing he never gave her enough credit. She’d had the misfortune of being assigned to a team with the last member of a great clan and a jinchuuriki. In comparison, Sakura had seemed so mediocre, but she wasn’t, was she? She was young and foolish, and far too obsessed with Sasuke for her own good, but there was so much potential there. What if Kakashi had seen that sooner? What if he’d given her the time and attention that he’d given the boys? Would she have been able to stop Sasuke from leaving, or keep Naruto safe? 

“Those were my thoughts too,” he confirmed. “My ninken looked everywhere, but the rain washed everything away. I can’t tell where either of them went.” 

There were a few beats of silence as Sakura absorbed the information and wiped at her eyes. Then she asked, “What happens now? How do we find them?” 

“Now,” Kakashi replied, “I need to report back to the Hokage. You should go home and get some rest.” 

Apparently that was not the right thing to say. Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Absolutely not. They’re my teammates, I have as much of a right to be there as you.” 

Kakashi decided it was best not to argue. She was right, and he didn’t necessarily have a good reason to keep her away, so he motioned for her to follow him. 

She fell into step beside him as he started making his way toward Hokage tower. He was dreading this confrontation. Not only did he have to tell the Hokage that he lost their village’s jinchuuriki, he had to tell Lady Tsunade that he lost the boy she’d come to care about so much. She came back to the village because of Naruto. She might act like his antics annoyed her, but it was obvious that she was very fond of him. And Kakashi thought Naruto was equally as fond of her. 

They reached the tower far too quickly for Kakashi’s liking, and every step upward felt like a physical blow. If Sakura hadn’t pushed the doors open, Kakashi probably would have stood outside the Hokage’s office like a coward for at least 5 minutes. 

Tsunade glanced up from her desk as Kakashi and Sakura entered the room. She stood up quickly, looking hopeful. “Well?” 

By now, Kakashi should have gotten used to delivering bad news. He shook his head sadly. 

The Sannin’s eyes widened. “Both of them?” 

“Yes. I can’t find any trace of them,” Kakashi explained. 

A pained expression crossed Tsunade’s face. “Do you think Naruto is…?” 

He was tired of saying it but Kakashi replied once more, “I don’t know. I didn’t find any evidence to support that, but I also have no idea where he would’ve gone. I assume that if he’s alive, he’s with Sasuke.” 

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed at that. “Why would he go with the Uchiha boy if he wasn’t bringing him back here?”

Kakashi sighed. “Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship has always been…complicated.” That was putting it lightly. “They’re rivals, and friends, and who knows what else. Naruto has always been drawn to him.” 

“Is it possible the Uchiha boy tricked him into going?” Tsunade asked sharply. 

Sakura gasped at the accusation. “Sasuke would never do something like that!” 

Tsunade looked to Kakashi for confirmation. Afterall, these were his students. He should know them best. “Sakura,” he said carefully, giving her a gentle look, “Sasuke is very angry, and that curse mark seemed to be making it worse. I know you saw him attack Naruto at the hospital. That attack was meant to kill him.” 

Tears formed in Sakura’s eyes again and she shook her head in disbelief. “But that’s the curse mark, that’s not him!” 

“Maybe,” Kakashi replied. “It didn’t help, but I’m not sure how much of this we can blame on that mark. Sasuke has spent most of his life thinking about revenge and violence. That can make a person do some bad things.” 

“But…why would he trick Naruto into leaving with him?” she sniffled. “It doesn’t make sense. He was always annoyed with Naruto.” 

Tsunade gave Kakashi a sharp look. “Did Uchiha know about…?” 

Kakashi didn’t need her to finish the sentence to know what she was asking. He glanced toward Sakura, shaking his head slightly to indicate that it was not a secret he’d shared with the other members of Team 7. He’d followed the Sandaime’s orders, to the point that he’d used them as a crutch. It was the perfect excuse to not get involved in the life of his sensei’s son. 

“I’m not sure what he knew before, but I felt that ,” he said vaguely, “while I was chasing them. He’s a smart kid, he probably figured it out.” 

Sakura looked between her sensei and the Hokage, deep in thought. And then she blurted out, “You’re talking about the Kyuubi, aren’t you?” 

Kakashi was genuinely shocked. “How do you know about that?” 

Sakura–sweet little teacher’s pet Sakura–actually rolled her eyes. “Come on, sensei. It’s obvious. After what happened in the Forest of Death,” she grimaced at the memory, “I put the pieces together. We didn’t talk about it in class, and now I guess I know why, but there’s a whole section about jinchuuriki in one of our textbooks. I didn’t realize it at the time because I was too busy worrying about Sasuke and Naruto, but after I got knocked out of the Chunin Exams I had a lot of time to think about it. And it was the only explanation that made sense.” 

Tsunade let out a bark of laughter. “A twelve-year-old genin figured out one of the village’s most important S-class secrets after reading an academy assigned book? I guess sensei was losing his touch!” She looked at Sakura approvingly. “Not bad, kid.” 

Sakura fidgeted a bit, not used to being the one to receive praise. “Th-thank you, Lady Tsunade!” 

“You can’t tell anyone, it could put Naruto in more danger,” Kakashi said seriously. She probably already understood, but he still made sure he got verbal confirmation from her, just in case, before turning his attention back to the Hokage. 

Once the surprise had worn off from Sakura’s unexpected revelation, Tsunade continued, “Well, since everyone in the room knows the big secret, let’s stop speaking in cryptic riddles. I’ve read that the Sharingan can control the Kyuubi, so Uchiha has both motive and method.” 

“Unfortunately, both may be true,” Kakashi confirmed bitterly. 

“Kakashi-sensei, this is crazy!” Sakura insisted, her eyes watering. “Sasuke can be a hothead, and he’s super cranky all the time, but…but…” she broke down, the tears now streaming down her cheeks. “What you’re talking about is horrible. I just can’t believe he would do something like that.” 

“Sakura.” Kakashi’s voice was sharp and it immediately commanded the girl’s attention. “I know you have feelings for Sasuke, but you need to look at this logically. He deserted the village to knowingly seek out Orochimaru, a notorious missing nin. He has shown violent and dangerous behaviors toward his own teammates. And now, Naruto has vanished without a trace, after a confrontation with him.” His expression softened. “You’re very intelligent, I know you can see how this looks.”

“I can,” Sakura agreed with a nod. “But I also know them. I’ve seen them bicker and fight, but I’ve also seen them have each other’s backs.”

Tsunade sighed, joining in the conversation. “It’s hard to believe that one of your teammates, someone you trusted and relied on, could do something so horrible. I understand. I felt the same way when Orochimaru left.” She smiled sadly. “You keep focusing on Sasuke, but think about Naruto. Do you think he would willingly desert the village?” 

Sakura’s face fell. “No. He loves this village, and he loves his friends. He wants to be Hokage and has a very annoying sense of justice.” She swallowed hard, scrubbing at her eyes with her sleeve. “He wouldn’t desert the village. Not willingly.” 

The explanation was completely logical, but Kakashi knew Sakura was still struggling to believe it. She was forcing the words out, despite her whole body shaking in protest. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she didn’t shake it off. It was hard enough for Kakashi to wrap his head around what his wayward student had likely done, so he couldn’t imagine what Sakura was feeling. Her crush on Sasuke ran deep. She wouldn’t want to believe that a person she had strong feelings for could do such horrible things. 

“Until we know otherwise,” Tsunade continued, “we have to assume that this is what happened.” 

Shizune, who had been silently observing from beside the Hokage’s desk until now, stepped in. “What does this mean for the village and our alliances? Other villages may perceive the disappearance of our jinchuuriki as a weakness and take advantage of it.” 

Tsunade nodded in agreement. “I had the same fear. Fortunately, thanks to Naruto, our alliance at least with Suna is very strong at the moment. However,” she continued, “they are experiencing internal conflict of their own since the loss of their Kazekage. The void in leadership has not been filled, although I’ve been informed that Rasa’s youngest son is making a bid for it.” 

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “Who, Gaara?” He thought back to the Suna nin’s battle with Sasuke, and his defeat at Naruto’s hands. “Isn’t he a little…unstable?” And young, he didn’t add. 

That actually drew a smile from Tsunade. “Apparently, his encounter with Naruto changed him greatly. I have reports from Shikamaru, who worked with Gaara and his siblings when they went after Uchiha, as well as contacts in Suna that have confirmed this.” 

“Huh,” was all Kakashi could say. Naruto was becoming a skilled shinobi, but apparently his true power was winning people over. If only he’d been able to do the same to Sasuke. 

“We’re getting off topic,” Tsunade continued, “but long story short, Konoha has officially given their support on the matter, despite what the elders have to say.” That probably meant she’d just yelled over them until she got her way, Kakashi realized. “It’s going to be a very slow and gradual process, but I’m all for it. And regarding alliances, our young Kazekage-to-be is very loyal to one Naruto Uzumaki. So long as things go as planned in Suna, I don’t think we have to worry about them causing us any trouble.” 

“The other villages though?” Kakashi pressed. 

“Less clear,” Tsunade responded. “But for the time being, no one has to know that Naruto is missing. Sasuke Uchiha, on the other hand, should be branded as a traitor and listed in the Bingo Book. A high bounty for his capture, alive. I don’t want to risk anything happening to Naruto if he’s killed.” 

Sakura seemed to have reached her limit. She was openly sobbing now, hunched over and not bothering to hide it. Kakashi tried rubbing her back soothingly, and she seemed to take it as an invitation to hug him tightly. He didn’t know what to do about the sudden comfort-seeking, so he just kept rubbing her back and murmuring that he was sorry. 

Tsunade looked at Sakura sympathetically. “I understand how difficult all of this must be for you. I’m sure Kakashi can give you some time off to process.” 

To Kakashi’s surprise, the suggestion seemed to light a fire in Sakura. She pulled away from Kakashi, and stared down the Hokage with a hard gaze. Tears still dripped down her face, plopping quietly on the floor, but her gaze didn’t falter. “No. I need to train harder.” 

Tsunade shook her head. “You don’t need to push yourself–”

Sakura interrupted her, which was actually quite shocking to see. Sakura had made a habit of sucking up to authority figures. He’d never seen her so defiant before. 

“I need to get stronger so I can be the one to capture Sasuke, and save Naruto,” she insisted. 

“You really need to let this crush go,” Tsunade insisted, her voice getting more harsh.

“That’s not what this is about!” Sakura snapped. She shook her head violently. “I’m the one that asked Naruto to go after Sasuke. I made him promise to bring Sasuke back.” Her breathing hitched as her voice cracked. “So if something happened to him, if Sasuke did something to him, it’s because of me.” 

Kakashi knew a thing or two about shouldering blame. “Don’t give yourself so much credit. You know you can’t make Naruto do anything that he doesn’t really want to do.” 

Sakura’s glare turned to him, and Kakashi held his hands up in surrender. “You don’t get it. I’ve always been the weak link on this team, and I’m sick of it. If I can’t even help my teammates, then what good am I as a shinobi?” 

Some instinct told Kakashi he should tell Sakura she wasn’t a weak link, but he knew that would just make her angrier. He didn’t want to say it outloud, but it was true. The boys had been carrying the team, and they all knew it. Sakura had potential, but she wasn’t even trying to reach it. But now, if she was serious, Kakashi would give everything he had for his remaining student. 

He wanted to tell her as much, but before he could say anything, Sakura turned to the Hokage and bowed deeply. “Please take me on as your student. I promise I will work hard, and that I won’t let you down.” 

Now that was a surprise. Kakashi thought maybe he should be offended that his last remaining genin was seeking help from a different teacher, but he couldn’t blame her. Kakashi really hadn’t done anything to advance her training, and Tsunade was both the Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin. And Tsunade probably wouldn’t squander Sakura’s talent. It was better for everyone this way. 

Tsunade glanced over at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged in response, then nodded in approval. He wouldn’t keep Sakura from reaching her potential any longer. 

Tsunade thought about the offer, tapping a finger on her chin. Finally, she grunted, “I’m going to work you harder than you’ve ever worked in your life, and I don’t want to hear any complaints, got it?” 

Sakura smiled. “Yes ma'am. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” She wiped at her tears again. “I’ll do whatever it takes to become strong enough to bring my boys home,” she promised, “in whatever form that may be.”

Chapter Text

Sasuke had traveled enough with Team 7 to know that Naruto never shut up on missions. He was always pointing out random scenery or prattling on about some insignificant topic that Sasuke only half-listened to. So for him to be completely silent since the Valley of the End, Sasuke was understandably taken aback. On occasion, he’d glance behind his shoulder to see if Naruto was even still following. He always was, a few paces behind, lost in thought. It was unusual to see him so contemplative, but then again, the circumstances were pretty unusual too. 

He didn’t know how long they’d been traveling, but by the time they reached any kind of civilization, both of them were soaked from the rain and swaying on their feet from exhaustion. Sasuke didn’t have enough chakra to put up a henge, so Naruto and his freaky chakra reserves were left to slip into town in disguise to buy clothes, food, and supplies. Meanwhile, Sasuke worked on setting up camp in the driest spot he could find. They couldn’t risk being spotted as themselves in any of the surrounding towns, since that was where their pursuers would most likely start looking for them. Surprisingly, Naruto didn’t fight him on this either, although his face did scrunch up in displeasure when he returned and saw the makeshift, muddy campsite. But still, he didn’t say much of anything. 

Naruto silently handed him a bag filled with fresh clothing, thankfully none of which was orange. He also passed over a warm takeout container. Sasuke wanted to snap at him for wasting money on takeout, but the instant he smelled the warm, fresh food any protest died on his tongue. It was some kind of stir fry, because apparently the small town didn’t have a ramen shop, if Naruto’s incredulous mumbling was anything to go by. 

Changing out of their wet clothes in the middle of the woods wasn’t exactly ideal, but they’d been trained for worse. At least Sasuke had managed to find a spot with a lot of tree cover, so they were only getting dripped on instead of drenched. It was too wet for a fire, though, and Sasuke only had his single tent since he hadn’t exactly planned on having a companion. With the weather so miserable, they both ended up huddled in the cramped tent, shivering and not even bothering to keep their distance and lose the body heat they were sharing. Hopefully they’d be able to stay at an inn when they reached the next town, because Sasuke might actually re-visit his decision not to kill Naruto if his companion’s cold toes didn’t stop brushing his leg. 

If they were smart they’d probably take turns staying up on guard duty, but both of them were far too exhausted to manage. He should find it laughable that he’d even think about trusting the person he’d just tried to kill to watch his back, but oddly enough he knew he could. Even stranger, he knew without a doubt that Naruto would foolishly trust him to do the same. The dark whispers in his head were no longer hissing insistently that Naruto needed to die, fortunately for his companion. If anything, he felt strangely content, considering they’d been at each other’s throats mere hours ago. 

When the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, Sasuke kicked Naruto awake, almost prompting another all-out brawl between them. Apparently, even on the run, Naruto was not a morning person. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in or licking their wounds any longer. They needed to get to Oto before Konoha caught up with them. He knew by now it would be obvious that they were both gone, but he didn’t know what conclusions they’d come to. Would they even consider that Naruto had left with him? Naruto was loyal to a fault to the people he considered precious, and for some reason that included nearly the whole damn village. Sasuke doubted anyone would believe that Naruto was willingly following him. He couldn’t help but smile darkly at the reality of the situation, knowing the full truth. What a spectacular “fuck you” to the village, to get one of their most steadfast, stupidly loyal shinobi to abandon them. And Naruto had abandoned them shockingly fast. It took barely any convincing to get him to come along. 

Sasuke knew Naruto was still loyal to the village at heart. He would inevitably return to the village, either when he missed his friends (or Ichiraku), or when he realized that Sasuke would never return with him. Sasuke was not under any delusions that their arrangement was permanent. Naruto was not suited to life as a rogue nin. He was far too soft, and cared too much about everyone else. He’d fold and go back to Konoha. It wasn’t a question of “if”, but “when”. 

The two of them packed up their campsite in silence. Unlike the previous day, however, Sasuke knew this morning’s silence had everything to do with Naruto’s distinct lack of enthusiasm for mornings. He was always grouchy and quiet first thing in the morning, a far cry from his normal boisterous self. Sasuke wasn’t going to complain about the quiet, although it was a little bit unsettling to think about how long Naruto had actually been silent. It was completely out of character, and Sasuke unfortunately knew him well enough to know. That made him stupidly on edge. He never cared much to know what was going on in his teammate’s head, but now he found himself intensely curious. What thoughts could keep him contemplative for so long? Not that Sasuke would ask. Fighting was their forte, not talking. 

Their trip was fortunately uneventful, which was good since both of them weren’t particularly well rested after their short respite in the cold, wet tent. They’d be useless against any serious threats right now. Naruto did seem like he was starting to perk up, and was glancing around and humming curiously at the strange land. They’d never traveled this far from the village before. Sasuke had vague memories of trips with his family, but they were brief and always for business. He’d been so young that the memories were fuzzy anyway. And Naruto’s first trip outside the village had been their mission to Wave Country. He knew this because Naruto had talked about it for 2 hours straight that day. Sauske realized he didn’t really know where Naruto had gone with Jiraiya, but he didn’t care enough to ask. He doubted the Sannin would’ve gone this way, anyway. 

They had to stop a few times to rest, but their pace was surprisingly steady. No complaining from Naruto, even when his stomach grumbled audibly. The few times he looked like he wanted to say something, he’d clamp his jaw shut and look away from Sasuke’s face. It was starting to make him antsy. The first day of traveling, it made sense that Naruto was so quiet. They’d both been physically and emotionally exhausted, and Naruto was coming to terms with being a rogue nin. But now? It just felt unnatural. It made Sasuke want to snap at him to stop acting so weird, but he refrained. He didn’t care. He should be grateful for the silence. It would undoubtedly be worse listening to his inane babbling all the way to Oto, after all. 

The two of them spent one more night in their tent in the woods, before the allure of civilization was too much. They’d both recovered enough to put up a henge, and the unfamiliar town was so far from Konoha it would be incredibly unlikely to run into anyone that knew to look for them anyway. 

Sasuke was kicking himself for not bringing more money when he looked at how close to empty his wallet was. As the last (non-homicidal) member of the Uchiha clan, virtually all the clan’s resources had been left to him. He’d just been in too much of a hurry to grab any more than what was in his wallet at the time. There was no way he’d be able to get ahold of any of it now. 

Fortunately, they had enough between the two of them for a room and a hot meal, plus some refills on supplies. They’d have to be careful, though, and possibly even pick up some odd jobs while they traveled. Sasuke didn’t like the idea of staying anywhere too long, but it wasn’t exactly ideal to run out of money while they were on the run either. Until he got to Orochimaru, he felt like he’d have to keep looking over his shoulder, and that made him want to move as fast as possible. 

Both of them collapsed onto their respective beds with a series of pained groans once they entered the room they’d paid for. Sasuke felt sleep pulling at him, but he didn’t want to give in until he’d had some food and a shower. It took a painful amount of effort to pull himself into a sitting position, but he managed. He glanced over at his companion, who had his eyes closed and a frown on his face. 

“I’m going to take a shower,” Sasuke announced, before padding into the bathroom. Whatever was going through Naruto’s head, he didn’t care. Sasuke hadn’t forced Naruto to follow him. If he wanted to leave, he should leave. This would be the perfect chance, so he could slip out without looking Sasuke in the eye like the coward he was. 

The hot water was heavenly, and Sasuke didn’t get out until he was pruning. He didn’t know what to expect from Orochimaru. Would they be living in some kind of weird castle or dungeon? Did Oto even have showers? They probably didn’t have ramen, and that realization alone would likely be enough to send Naruto running back to Konoha. The thought made him snort. After his shower, Sasuke washed his other set of clothes in the sink, but failed to get all the blood stains out. It was probably a lost cause. As much as he didn’t want to spend more money, the thought of only having a single set of clothing for their journey didn’t sit well with him. Just because they’d become rogue nin didn’t mean they had to live like cavemen. He changed back into the only other clothes he had, grimacing at how grimy they felt already. It would probably be worth grabbing another set of clothing before they left. 

Sasuke left the bathroom, a plume of steam following him. When he glanced around, the room was empty. Naruto was nowhere to be found. Sasuke clenched his jaw, pushing away an unidentifiable emotion. So much for not caving so easily. Fine, he’d do this alone. It was what he meant to do in the first place, anyway. He didn’t need, or really even want Naruto around. It had been a stupid spur of the moment decision to ask him to come along. Really, it was better for both of them if Naruto left. Sasuke was better alone, he was–

The lock clicked. Instinctively, Sasuke went to reach for a weapon, but he relaxed when the door opened to Naruto’s familiar henge. He blinked curiously at Sasuke, with eyes that were currently green instead of blue. The door closed behind him before he let the henge drop, and for some reason, Sasuke felt some of his tension drop at the same time. 

“Where the hell did you go?” Sasuke growled, feigning indifference. 

“Oh,” Naruto responded, “I just went to the shop next door to grab a few things.” He set a couple of plastic bags down on the room’s small table. 

Sasuke eyed them curiously, rolling his eyes when he spotted a few containers of instant ramen and some candy. Naruto also pulled out a ridiculous, frog-themed backpack that was clearly meant for children. He rolled his eyes again, but Naruto just grinned at him before shoving the food and a handful of other miscellaneous items into the pack. What was with this loser and frogs, anyway? 

One set of items caught Sasuke’s attention, making him scowl. “Why did you buy those?” 

Naruto looked where he was gesturing. “Huh? Oh!” He pulled out the stationary set, along with a couple of very vibrantly colored pens. “I was just thinking about how everyone will be worried, so it would probably be a good idea to tell them we’re ok.” 

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. “You idiot. Rogue nin don’t send letters back to their village.” 

His companion frowned. “I know that!” 

“Then what exactly were you trying to do here?” 

“I don’t know,” Naruto snapped, “I just didn’t like the idea of people being worried about me. I don’t want people like Iruka-sensei or Sakura or everyone else to think I’m hurt or something!” He waved a hand dismissively. “I guess I thought you might feel the same but obviously not.” 

“I don’t,” Sasuke confirmed. “I don’t care what they think.” 

“Ugh, fine, then you can let them think what you want.” Naruto started opening the stationary pack. “But I don’t want them to worry about me.” 

Sasuke snatched it out of his hand, ignoring his companion’s protest. “You are not writing to Konoha. We don’t want anything that could lead them to us!” 

Naruto lunged at him. “Hey, give that back, bastard!” 

Deftly, Sasuke stepped out of the way of Naruto’s attack and used his height advantage to hold the stationary out of Naruto’s reach. Naruto glared at him, his fists clenching. He lunged again, this time summoning a few clones to help him. If Sasuke had been in top form, he would have dodged easily. However, he was still recovering from their fight and overuse of chakra. Naruto was obviously still injured too, but his recovery was already well beyond Sasuke’s. His chakra seemed to have bounced back like it was nothing, and he had wounds already closed that should’ve required careful stitching and weeks of rest to properly heal. 

The clones piled onto Sasuke, crushing him under their combined weight. He felt the stationary pack being ripped out of his hand. One of the clones remained sitting on his chest, glaring down at him while the original stuck his tongue out and stalked across the room with his prize. 

Sasuke felt the curse mark burning on his neck, and a white hot rage seeping into his bones. “This isn’t a game, you moron!” he snarled. 

Naruto’s eyes narrowed. “I know that! I’m not trying to mess things up for you, I just give a shit about the people we left behind!” 

“Then go back to the village!” Sasuke snapped. They were both yelling now, probably on the verge of a noise complaint. He managed to push the clone off of him, letting it quickly pop out of existence as he stood up to face Naruto. 

“I don’t want to!” Naruto yelled back. “Not without you!” 

“I told you I’m not going back!” Lightning started to crackle in his palm as he thought about readying a chidori. 

Without warning, Naruto threw the pack of stationary onto the ground, violently. “ I know , you stupid jerk! That’s why I wanted to at least tell everyone that I’m not dead in a ditch somewhere, because I know this is not a short term thing!” He was taking heaving breaths. “But if it’s that important to you for everyone else to be miserable so you can have your stupid pity party, then fine! I won’t write to them, I’ll just let them all worry and get bitter and cranky like you!” 

They both glared at each other with narrowed eyes, fists clenched and poised to attack each other. The curse mark was whispering in his mind, slowly pushing him toward the edge. It fed into his anger, telling him that Naruto would get him captured and sent back to Konoha, probably in chains. He should kill him now. He shouldn’t have let him come along. It was a ploy to alert the village to their location. It was all a lie.

Sasuke was two seconds away from shoving his hand through Naruto’s chest, when Naruto flopped back onto the bed with an angry sigh. “Ugh you’re so frustrating! You said I wouldn’t have to hurt the village, you lying asshole!” 

“This isn’t hurting the village,” he spat. He needed to strike now, before Naruto realized he needed to defend himself. 

Naruto sat up, his eyes glancing down at the lighting slowly engulfing Sasuke’s hand. His fingers twitched like he wanted to summon a rasengan in return. “It is!” he insisted. “Ok, I know not all of it,” Naruto winced at the admission. “I know there’s lots of people that are probably happy I’m gone, y’know? But like the people that care. It hurts them, and they’re part of the village.” He frantically rubbed at his eyes, probably trying to keep tears away. “I wasn’t gonna say anything about where we were, and I won’t say anything about you if you don’t want me to, I just didn’t want to hurt them!” 

Dammit, was he really going to start crying again? Sasuke pushed back against the whispers in his head. No, Naruto wasn’t smart enough, or manipulative enough, to trick him into giving up his location to Konoha. If there was one thing Naruto believed in, it was keeping his word. He sure screamed it enough for Sasuke to know. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get his breathing under control. He let the lighting fade from his hand. 

When he opened his eyes, Naruto was scowling, and eyeing him suspiciously. Sasuke ran a shaky hand through his hair, letting his heart rate come down. “You can write your stupid letter, but I get to read it before you send it.” 

Naruto blinked at him a few times, then his face split into a blinding grin. “Alright! I promise you’ll get to read anything I write before I send it.” 

Why did he get the distinct impression that Naruto was implying this wasn’t a one time thing? “Just this once. We’re not having this conversation again.” 

Naruto waved him off. “Yeah, yeah.” He picked up the stationary set and started scribbling, his tongue poking out through his lips as he worked. Occasionally, he chewed on the end of his pen. Eventually, he put the pen down, scanning over his words once more, before handing the letter to Sasuke. 

Sasuke snatched it out of his hand and read it carefully, then activated his Sharingan and read it again to be safe. It was probably overkill to look for any kind of secret meaning or code, but he wanted to be careful. Satisfied that there wasn’t any information that could alert the village to their location, Sasuke handed it back to his companion with a nod. 

Still grinning, Naruto folded the letter unevenly, then stuffed it into the envelope. He paused as he started addressing it. “Uh, Sasuke? Do you remember the address to Hokage Tower?” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, then shoved Naruto out of the way so he could write the address down. It would be easier than explaining it. Naruto was awful at following verbal instructions and would probably whine and make Sasuke repeat things over and over. 

“Make sure you don’t give it to someone sending a hawk directly to Konoha,” Sasuke warned. “It has to go to one of the hubs first, or else they’ll be able to track the bird back here.” 

“I know that!” Naruto huffed, but Sasuke got the distinct impression that he hadn’t thought of that at all. 

Sasuke grunted in response, then shuffled over to the bed he’d claimed. “I’m going to bed. You should do the same, we’ve got another early start.” 

Naruto groaned at the word “early”. “Can’t we sleep in a bit?” 

“No.” 

“Ugh, fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll drop this off then go to sleep.”

Sasuke had already crawled under the covers and closed his eyes. He peeked open an eye at his companion. “Send it tomorrow. We want as much time as possible between that letter going out and us leaving. I don’t know if they’re sending any more hawks out tonight.” 

“Paranoid bastard,” Naruto commented, but relented. He set the letter back on the table, then stretched until his muscles popped. He started making his way toward the bed. 

“And take a shower. You stink.” Sasuke smirked at Naruto’s indignant reaction. He held up an arm to block a pillow that was thrown at his face. 

Naruto relented, slamming the bathroom door behind him with enough force to rattle the frame. Sasuke heard the shower turn on, followed by a quiet yelp that probably meant Naruto hadn’t checked the temperature before trying to get in. Sasuke scoffed at his companion’s antics, rolling over so he was facing away from the bathroom door. 

Tomorrow they will begin the last leg of their journey before making the final push to Oto. Sasuke wondered how Orochimaru would react to his surprise plus one. He assumed that he probably wouldn’t object to having the Kyuubi brought to him, but he wasn’t totally sure. Orochimaru was still a mystery to him in many ways. It had crossed his mind that he might be turned away after bringing a companion along, but Sasuke dismissed that thought quickly. Orochimaru had made it clear that he was interested in Sasuke, and that gave him a lot of leverage. If anything, if he really disliked Konoha as much as Sasuke suspected, he’d probably be more than happy to hold on to one of the village’s most absurdly loyal shinobi. Particularly when said shinobi was the host of an all powerful fox demon. He wondered how much Naruto actually knew about the Kyuubi, and how much more power he had hidden away. 

The thought of Naruto having more power after almost managing to best him should’ve made Sasuke furious. He’d been so angry at the idea of Naruto surpassing him, and there was no doubt that he could if the stories about the Kyuubi’s strength were true, assuming Naruto could harness it. 

Strangely, it didn’t actually bother him. In fact, the thought was oddly thrilling. There was some dark and sinister part of him (probably coming from the curse mark) that delighted in the fact that he’d so easily swayed someone with so much potential power to his side. Naruto had chosen to follow him rather than return to the village. Sure, he said it was to eventually bring Sasuke back, but he still took off his forehead protector and let himself be branded as a missing nin. He chose Sasuke over the village. He didn’t know why, but that stirred more emotion in him than any of his previous thoughts, and it didn’t feel as dark or heavy. It left him almost smiling as his thoughts wandered and sleep overtook him. 

—-----------------------------------------

The pair of them arrived in Otogakure with no fanfare. Naruto’s head was swiveling around curiously, making offhanded comments and muttering things under his breath. Sasuke finally had enough and snapped at him, mentally cursing himself for being so put off by Naruto’s silence at the start of their travels. Ever since their confrontation over Naruto’s letter, he’d been pretty much back to his normal, chatterbox self. More than once, Sasuke had been tempted to leave him behind somewhere just to get a break from the incessant babbling, but he never managed to pull it off. If he tried to slip away to get some peace and quiet, Naruto would be beside him almost instantly.

“Would you just shut up already?” Sasuke snapped, cutting off Naruto’s unnecessarily detailed rambling. 

“Oh come on, Sasuke,” Naruto whined, “you can’t blame me for being curious. I mean,” he waved a hand around, “I was expecting, I don’t know, corpses or something. Giant snake skins everywhere. You know, creepy stuff. It just looks…kinda normal.” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Inwardly, he’d been expecting something similar (although not quite as dramatic), but he’d never tell Naruto that. The location that Orochimaru had given Sasuke was surprisingly unremarkable. Save for the well-concealed base they were approaching, there wasn’t much else of note. They’d passed through a very normal looking town about an hour back, where Naruto had even managed to find a general store with another stupid frog-themed item. This time it was a ridiculous little plush toy that had been sitting in the window. It had been listed as “display only”, but Naruto whined until the shopkeeper practically gave it away for free to be rid of him. Now the plush was tucked away in his matching backpack, nestled between the few remaining cups of instant ramen. 

As they approached the base’s entrance, Sasuke could see Naruto tensing up beside him. There was a very familiar figure waiting for them, a scowl on his face. Naruto was hissing something very unkind under his breath, and Sasuke had to grab his arm to keep him from rushing forward and doing something stupid. 

The waiting figure narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. “I don’t recall your invitation having a plus one,” Kabuto sneered. 

Sasuke kept his hold on Naruto’s arm, tightening his grip. He could feel Naruto tensing even more, now practically coiled like a spring. “I think Orochimaru will understand when I explain the situation to him,” Sasuke replied coolly. 

Kabuto’s eyes narrowed even more. “ Lord Orochimaru doesn’t have time to deal with your insolence. He sent me to collect you.” His eyes flicked over to Naruto. “ Just you. We don’t have a place for pathetic shinobi-wannabe runts.” 

Before Sasuke could stop him, Naruto growled, “Oi, you want to pick up where we left off, asshole?” He cracked his knuckles. “Or are you too busy being the Snake Bastard’s errand boy to fight me?” 

Kabuto clenched his fists, his chakra starting to flicker visibly around him. “ Do not speak of Lord Orochimaru so disrespectfully. I don’t recall you being so tough when I had you bleeding out on the ground.” 

“Yeah, well, things will be different this time!” Naruto snarled. “Come over here so I can knock that stupid look off your face!” He ripped his arm out of Sasuke’s grasp. 

Thinking quickly, Sasuke grabbed Naruto again and gave him a harsh look, before turning back to Kabuto. “Do you want to be the one to tell Orochimaru that you turned away the Kyuubi, or should I?” 

Naruto flinched, turning toward him with shocked, wide eyes. Kabuto regarded them carefully. “You’re bluffing,” he insisted. “That wimp? The Kyuubi?” 

“Sasuke, what are you doing?” Naruto hissed. 

“Cleaning up your mess,” Sasuke snapped in response. He didn’t know why Naruto looked so uneasy about Sasuke revealing his secret. It was going to come out sooner rather than later, and it was the only thing keeping Kabuto from trying to tear Naruto apart. If that happened, Sasuke genuinely couldn’t decide if he’d help silence the idiot, or if he’d jump to his aid. 

Sasuke’s glare turned to Kabuto again. “You can ask Orochimaru. He saw this moron in action in the Forest of Death.” He gestured to his companion, who made an affronted noise at the insult. 

Kabuto kept scowling, until his expression was suddenly replaced with a dark smirk. “Alright. I’ll let you be the one to introduce Lord Orochimaru to our… guest ,” he spat the last word. 

They followed Kabuto into the base. Sasuke didn’t realize he was still gripping Naruto’s arm until his companion angrily swatted his hand away. Naruto was seething, and he fixed Sasuke with a harsh glare. Sasuke just met the look with one equally as harsh. 

The area they were led into was just as dark and dreary as he’d expected. The hideout was nothing but hallways, cold stone, and unmarked doors. Sasuke was mentally mapping every turn, his Sharingan spinning to life. The minimal, low lighting did little to chase away the shadows clinging to the walls and ceiling. Vaguely, Sasuke thought he could hear the sounds of metal and screams somewhere. He expected Naruto to make some kind of snide comment about the place being “creepy”, but his companion remained silent, his shoulders hunched and fists clenched in anger. 

Kabuto led them through the dark maze, until they reached a metal door that stood on its own at the end of a hallway. Their guide knocked, then pushed the door open, its hinges creaking ominously. He gestured for both of them to step into the room, not bothering to hide his glare as Naruto passed him. Naruto glared right back, not shying away from meeting the older shinobi’s eyes. 

Sasuke took in his surroundings as they entered the room, which appeared to be a lab of some sort. There were instruments beeping, and all kinds of beakers and test tubes full of who-knows-what. Some of them very obviously contained human or animal body parts. Orochimaru was standing at a metal table in front of them, his back turned. Sasuke could hear the drawn out shick shick shick of metal sliding against metal. Knives or surgical tools most likely, given how Orochimaru was leaning over a cut up corpse. It was an animal of some sort, based on a few remaining tufts of brown fur, but it was beyond recognition. The entire room smelled like a combination of chemicals and the metallic tang of fresh blood. 

Despite the Sannin’s back being toward them, Kabuto bowed respectfully before addressing his master. “Lord Orochimaru, I’ve brought Sasuke Uchiha. And,” he glared at Naruto again, “his guest .”

Unbothered by the intrusion, Orochimaru kept working. The overhead light illuminated his work area and cast a grizzly scene of shadows onto the wall. Even if they couldn’t see what the snake was doing directly, the shadowed outline of his dissection left no mystery. 

“Hmm.” Orochimaru’s voice was as airy and sickly sweet as Sasuke remembered. The snake lifted something from his specimen that was blocked by his body. The shadow on the wall was long, and tube-like. Intestines, probably. 

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto to see how he was reacting to the scene in front of them. Of course Naruto wouldn’t be a stranger to blood or gore, but he’d always been too soft. He wouldn’t be surprised if Naruto was disturbed by the display. However, when he glanced at his companion, Naruto didn’t seem perturbed. His expression hadn’t changed from the uncharacteristic scowl that had set on his face when Kabuto showed them in. 

There was a disgusting squelching sound, followed by a wet plop as Orochimaru dropped whatever organs he’d been digging out of the corpse onto the metal table. “So glad you could join us, Sasuke.” His honeyed words were offset by the sound of bone being cracked. “And with a guest? My, how unexpected .” The last word was punctuated by the soft “thunk” of a blade being sunk into flesh. 

Metal tools clanked quietly as they were set down, and then Orochimaru turned to face them. He made a show of pulling the bloody gloves off of his hands, followed by the surgical mask he’d been wearing over his face. Sasuke didn’t miss that it had bits of tissue splattered on it. However, the snake did not remove the blood-soaked smock he was wearing. 

Orochimaru regarded them with a lazy, cruel smile half-formed on his face. His slitted eyes flitted over to Naruto, and his smile only widened as his snake-like pupils dilated with interest. “Well, isn’t this a surprise?” Despite the declaration, Orochimaru didn’t sound the least bit shocked or concerned about Naruto’s presence. His voice remained as even as always, and his expression gave away nothing but slight amusement. 

Naruto regarded him coldly, opening his mouth to no-doubt say something stupid. Sasuke stepped forward to prevent his companion from lashing out against their new host. “I brought the Kyuubi with me, I take it this won’t be a problem?”  

The snake chuckled lowly. “No, certainly not a problem at all.” He cocked his head, regarding the unexpected addition. “What an interesting day indeed. And here I thought I would be bored,” he added with his usual measured tempo.  

Kabuto looked genuinely annoyed at his master’s easy acceptance of the situation. Sasuke couldn’t help but smirk at him. Kabuto didn’t acknowledge him, taking a step toward Orochimaru instead. “Lord Orochimaru, you can’t be serious–” 

The Sannin’s eyes narrowed and the amused smile dropped off his face as he regarded his apprentice. “What makes you think I am not serious, Kabuto?” he hissed. “I would have to be a fool not to welcome the Kyuubi when it so willingly walks into our little home.” 

Sasuke could feel Naruto snap before he heard the outburst, but he couldn’t stop him in time. “Stop calling me that!” he shouted, his voice echoing harshly in the large room. “I am not the damn fox, got it?” Naruto’s jaw was clenched so tightly Sasuke thought he might break a tooth. “My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I’m the future Hokage of Konohagakure, and I’m going to be the strongest shinobi that ever lived! Don’t you dare talk about me like I’m the same as that stupid demon!” 

To Sasuke’s immense surprise, Orochimaru actually chuckled in response to Naruto’s declaration, clapping his hands in mock applause. “Well, aren’t you quite the ambitious one?” A look of sinister amusement crossed his face, followed by something darker, almost hungrier. “Uzumaki, you say? And a jinchuuriki at that?” Orochimaru licked his lips with his unnaturally long tongue. “This is turning out to be quite the two for one special, I’d say.” 

Naruto’s expression faltered. “A jin-what now?” 

Wearing the same cruel smile, Orochimaru tilted his head again. His slitted eyes were practically shining, and Sasuke took it to mean that he knew something that Naruto would very much like to know. And he would dangle whatever that something was like a piece of meat in front of a starving animal. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard the word jinchuuriki before?” It was obvious that he knew Naruto hadn’t, but he let the boy shake his head anyway. “Hm, you’d think Konoha would have wanted their most powerful weapon to be well-equipped, but evidently not.” 

“Ugh, quit being so weird, you damn snake bastard! Just give me a straight answer.” Naruto crossed his arms irritably, but Sasuke could see that Orochimaru had his interest. Orochimaru dangled the bait, and Naruto was being reeled in before he even knew he was hooked. 

There was a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of Orochimaru’s eye as Naruto insulted him, but he never let his smile falter. “A jinchuuriki is the container for a Tailed-Beast. And you contain the most powerful of them all.” 

Naruto’s eyes widened in shock. “The most powerful–what, that means there’s more?” 

Orochimaru chuckled again, and the sound made all of the hair stand up on the back of Sasuke’s neck. “Of course. There are nine, and the more tails they have, the more powerful they are.” 

“A–and, are they all sealed in someone…like me?” Naruto asked quietly, almost hopeful. 

“Indeed. Jinchuuriki are a rare commodity, and quite valuable for their village,” Orochimaru explained. 

Naruto’s face flashed between at least half a dozen emotions. Even if Sasuke hadn’t known him obnoxiously well, Naruto was always an open book and incredibly easy to read. Shock, confusion, anger. Oh, Orochimaru was good. It hadn’t even been five minutes and he was already sinking his fangs into Naruto. And Naruto was letting him. Something tightened in his chest when he thought about it, but he pushed it away. 

As Naruto was contemplating the information, Orochimaru went for the kill. “It would seem that you’ve been kept in the dark about some very important information.” The snake paused for emphasis. “Hm, I wonder what else they might have kept from you?” he insinuated. 

Naruto looked away, his whole body shaking with poorly concealed anger and betrayal. Orochimaru smiled darkly, knowing he had the boy in his coils. He let Naruto stew in his slew of emotions, now turning to Sasuke. “I’m sure your companion ,” he emphasized the word very purposefully, “has much to think about. As for you, I expect you to be ready to start your training at sunrise. There is so much preparation to be done.” Once again, an inhuman tongue darted out to wet his lips as he greedily raked his eyes over Sasuke. 

Sasuke didn’t flinch, even though the insinuation made him want to turn away in disgust. He kept his face purposefully neutral and offered a single nod to show that he understood. Sasuke just needed Orochimaru to make him stronger, then he could kill Itachi. He could kill Orochimaru too, it didn’t really matter to him. He would never actually let the snake have his body. He’d get what he needed and then leave well before he could become nothing but an empty vessel. 

And maybe, Sasuke would have an ally far longer than he expected. Naruto was still processing all of Orochimaru’s words, obviously dying to ask more questions. Maybe Sasuke was wrong about him running right back to Konoha. If the snake could keep offering such precious tidbits of information, Naruto might just stay here without Sasuke having to lift a finger. 

With a satisfied smile, Orochimaru turned away from the two new arrivals, returning to his previous project. “Kabuto will show you to your quarters,” he remarked over his shoulder. 

Despite the nasty look Kabuto sent toward both Naruto and Sasuke, he didn’t dare disobey his master. “Yes, Lord Orochimaru.” 

Naruto shuffled after him, still deep in thought. Sasuke took one last look at his new teacher, before following the other two out. The metal door closed behind them with an echo that reverberated down the length of the hallway. 

Kabuto led them along in a tense silence, until they reached a separate wing with a line of identical doors. The older boy opened one toward the end of the hall gesturing for both teens to go inside. “We were only expecting one new body, so you’ll have to make do with sharing.” He smirked, clearly hoping they’d be uncomfortable. 

Sasuke pushed past Kabuto without a word, Naruto slipping in right behind him. The room was small for two people, but at least there were two beds. Only one dresser, and a single attached bathroom, but it would be fine for now. Eventually Sasuke figured he could move into one of the other rooms, assuming there was an empty one. Really, if Sasuke was here as Orochimaru’s favored vessel, that might even get him enough leeway to ask for his own room anyway. He could manage sharing with Naruto for a little while. 

“Don’t go wandering around,” Kabuto warned. “You might not like what you find.” He closed the door behind him without any further explanation, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone. 

Sasuke set his bag down on the bed, and was about to unpack his small number of possessions, when he was suddenly shoved against the wall. On instinct, he activated his Sharingan, letting his eyes take in his attacker.

Naruto had both of his hands fisted in Sasuke’s shirt as he pressed him back into the cold stone wall. His unnaturally pointed teeth were bared in a snarl and his blue eyes stared unflinchingly into Sasuke’s red ones. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sasuke snapped, trying to push Naruto off of him. 

Naruto didn’t budge, lifting slightly up onto his tip-toes so he was perfectly level with Sasuke. “Don’t ever do that again. Don’t you ever fucking call me that again!” 

It took Sasuke’s mind a few seconds to understand what Naruto was talking about. “What? Are you talking about the Kyuubi again?” He managed to get Naruto to release his grip on Sasuke’s shirt and tried to push him back. “It was just to keep them from killing you, moron. I had to make you sound useful to them.” 

Naruto aimed a fist at his face, Sasuke ducking away barely in time to avoid it. The other boy’s fist collided with the wall and Sasuke was shocked to see how much of an indent he made with just his bare fist and the tiniest flicker of red chakra. Naruto’s fist was bleeding, but it didn’t stop him from grabbing Sasuke again. “I don’t care! I’m not the damn fox! I don’t ever want to be compared to that thing ever again!” 

Apparently, Sasuke had hit a sore spot. It made sense, when he thought about it. From what Naruto had told him (yelled at him, really), his status as a pariah in the village was thanks to the Kyuubi. Maybe he felt the tiniest bit of guilt about the whole situation, but mostly he was just annoyed with his new roommate. He shoved Naruto square in the chest, managing to make him stumble back. 

“Fine,” Sasuke spat. 

They stared at each other, both of their chests heaving. Sasuke was still leaning back against the wall, and Naruto looked torn between trying to punch Sasuke again and breaking down into tears. In the end, he scoffed and turned away from Sasuke, and started silently taking in their new lodging. Sasuke cautiously pushed off from the wall, watching Naruto for a few moments to make sure the fight wasn’t going to start again. When it seemed that Naruto had gotten everything out of his system, Sasuke went back to unpacking. 

Naruto didn’t bother to do the same, dropping his frog backpack on the floor and collapsing back onto the bed with an annoyed huff, his hand still dripping blood down his arm. Almost immediately, he sat back up like he remembered something, then reached down to rifle through his back. He put the frog plushie on his bed, then pulled out the stationary set and a pen, then started angrily scribbling something. Sasuke scoffed and shook his head at the sight, prompting Naruto to flip him off in response. 

As the frantic scribbling continued, Sasuke sighed in exasperation. “What are you doing now, you idiot?” 

“Shut up, bastard,” Naruto growled. 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I thought we said that you were only going to write one letter.” 

Without looking up Naruto retorted, “No, you said that.” He kept writing. 

“Seriously?” He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re actually going to send another one? Somehow I don’t think Orochimaru or Kabuto will be too happy with that idea.” 

“Like I care,” Naruto grumbled.

“Whatever,” Sasuke conceded. “But you promised to let me read over what you wrote first,” he reminded his companion. 

“I know,” Naruto responded dryly. 

Taking it as permission, Sasuke approached the bed Naruto was sitting on and peered over his shoulder. As expected, Naruto’s penmanship was even worse when he was upset. The contents of the letter, however, were more surprising. Naruto was obviously angry, but Sasuke hadn’t expected him to put his frustration into words. Flecks of blood from Naruto’s injured hand really added to the furious words. 

“Are you really going to send that?” Sasuke asked curiously. 

Naruto didn’t respond verbally, but he did finish what he was writing and then very angrily stuff the letter into an envelope. Then, he handed the envelope to Sasuke with an expectant look. 

“I forgot the address again…” 

Of course he did. Sasuke snatched the envelope and pen out of Naruto’s hands, then scribbled down the address. He handed both items back to the other boy. The closest place to send letters was probably back in the town they’d passed on their way in. He wondered if by the time Naruto got it there if he’d reconsider sending something so angry and accusatory. Not that it mattered to Sasuke. In fact, it was actually quite amusing to see Naruto so angry at the place he’d been so adamant about dragging Sasuke back to not that long ago. 

“It’s not like they’ll be able to respond to your questions,” Sasuke reminded him. 

Naruto gave him a flat look. “I know. I just–” he sighed, some of the anger draining from his body, being replaced with a sad resignation. “I just want them to know that it was wrong to keep things from me.” 

It wouldn’t change anything, and Sasuke was tempted to point it out, but he just shrugged in response. “Whatever you say.” If Naruto wanted to have a temper tantrum, at least it wasn’t directed at Sasuke for once.

Chapter Text

When Naruto awoke after their first night in Orochimaru’s base and immediately shoved the letter back into his bag, Sasuke wasn’t the least bit surprised. Naruto never was good at following through. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto pretended not to notice. 

The first morning was uncomfortable, to say the least. Neither of them had slept well on their rickety mattresses, keeping each other awake with their tossing and turning. Plus, both of their instincts were screaming not to let their guard down in this place, leading to a very unsatisfying night’s rest. Both of them also only had the clothes they’d brought with them, which were well past needing a wash. 

And then there was the matter of food. Sasuke would never be the one to admit he was hungry, but Naruto wasn’t shy about it. He complained, quite loudly, about wanting to find something for breakfast. As it turned out, there was a small dining area in the base, but they would need to get their own food. Apparently a supply run back to the nearby town was in order. 

They didn’t really have anything else to do, so Sasuke went to meet Orochimaru for his first day of training. Naruto followed him, despite Sasuke’s protests. 

“What are you doing, loser?” He scowled. “Just because you came with me, that doesn’t mean we need to be attached at the hip.” 

Naruto glared at him. “I know that! I just don’t have anything better to do. And,” he added, “I gotta make sure Snake Bastard doesn’t try anything creepy.” 

Apparently, Naruto’s propensity to make up insulting nicknames for authority figures extended even to the snake Sannin. “Whatever,” Sasuke retorted. “Just stay out of my way.” 

They followed the maze of hallways to a grand, open room supported by dozens of stone pillars. There were weapons of various sorts on racks against the wall, along with targets and training dummies. Despite the cave-like ambiance, it was overall a fairly normal training area. Both Orochimaru and Kabuto were waiting for them, not looking the least bit surprised to see Naruto trailing after Sasuke. 

The first day was spent just assessing Sasuke’s abilities, performing medical examinations, and testing his strength and endurance. Naruto spent the first few minutes glowering in silence, but quickly announced that he was bored and dragged one of the targets across the room. He would glance at Sasuke occasionally, but mostly occupied himself trying out the various weapons Orochimaru had stocked. The snake didn’t stop him, but Kabuto was gritting his teeth to avoid screaming something his master would be displeased with. 

Kakashi certainly hadn’t been a pushover, but Orochimaru was something else entirely. He was relentless, and had no tolerance for errors. Praise was rarely given, and when it was, there was always a cold edge to it. He didn’t take breaks, and he didn’t take excuses. Sasuke was no stranger to hard work, but this was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. 

At some point during the day, Naruto apparently ended up egging Kabuto on. Orochimaru waved his apprentice off absentmindedly, and from then on he and Naruto spent the remainder of the day scuffling on the other side of the room. Kabuto was pummeling the younger shinobi, but Naruto’s ability to keep getting up after taking a hit was clearly leaving the older boy frustrated. By the time their first day of training came to an end, Naruto was even more beat up than Sasuke was, despite only one of them having any kind of planned training. 

They limped back to their shared room on the first night, too exhausted to do anything but take a quick shower and pass out on their beds. Even Naruto was too tired to think about finding a meal somewhere. 

It became a routine for them. Wake up, scrounge together breakfast, go train. They didn’t get formal days off, but they had time to kill when Orochimaru was busy, so they found time to return to the nearby town to buy new clothes and food. Naruto pouted when they didn’t have anything in orange, so he had to settle for buying darker clothes that had brightly colored accents. 

Even though Naruto was not receiving any kind of formal instruction, he still showed up every day, without fail. If not for the Kyuubi’s healing abilities, he wouldn’t be walking, let alone fighting. Kabuto fared better, partially because he kept winning their ridiculous sparring matches, and partially due to his healing abilities. He’d show up the next day almost completely restored, while Naruto was more often than not nursing a broken bone or laceration of some kind. 

Sasuke could feel his companion’s frustration growing every day. His cheerful banter became subdued, and he started developing heavy bags under his eyes. Sasuke got the impression that it was purposeful, because every so often Orochimaru’s slitted eyes would flick over to Naruto appraisingly. His motivation became apparent after a nasty screaming match with Kabuto turned particularly violent, and Naruto ended up sprawled out on the ground, choking on his own blood. All of a sudden, Naruto went limp, then his body shuddered as he was surrounded by a familiar red chakra. 

Orochimaru held up a hand to tell Sasuke to pause their session, so they could watch Naruto jump up and grab Kabuto with crimson chakra claws, slamming him straight through a wall. Sasuke could only watch as his normally cheerful, carefree companion was overcome by frustration and rage. His throat felt dry watching Naruto go on a rampage in the training arena, slicing through stone and snarling like a rabid animal. It was even more shocking than when the two of them had fought at the Valley of the End. At that time, Naruto was animalistic, but seemed to be at least somewhat in control. Now, he was basically feral, surrounded by a red chakra cloak that made Sasuke shudder just being in the same room as it. 

Kabuto ended up being lucky that he was knocked unconscious when Naruto threw him, because Sasuke was convinced he would have been ripped apart if he tried to get back up. Orochimaru didn’t intervene to save his apprentice, only watching the scene unfold in front of him with a sly, knowing smirk. 

When Naruto finally wore himself out and collapsed, Orochimaru just turned back to Sasuke and continued their training. Sasuke couldn’t help but glance at his unconscious companion every now and then, watching to see if the blond’s chest was still rising and falling regularly. 

When Naruto came to, he was obviously dazed. He sat up with a pained groan and blinked in confusion at the destroyed surroundings. Orochimaru didn’t say anything, but later that day he did hand Naruto a book with a worn cover and frayed binding. Sasuke rolled his eyes, thinking Orochimaru had gotten Naruto all wrong, but he was immensely surprised to find Naruto with his nose buried in that damn book any chance he got. He tried to feign disinterest, but he couldn’t keep it up. Any book that got Naruto of all people to actually pay attention had him immensely curious. Finally, he couldn’t stand not knowing. 

“What the hell is so interesting about that book?” Sasuke grumbled one night after he’d finished showering and Naruto hadn’t moved from his cross legged position on his bed. He toweled his hair off, frowning at his roommate’s uncharacteristic focus. 

Naruto glanced up at him, blinking like he was trying to refocus his eyes. “Hm? Oh!” He grinned, turning the cover toward Sasuke. It was too worn out to read the title. “It’s about the nine Bijuu!” Excitedly, Naruto flipped through a few pages, then turned the book back toward Sasuke. “Look! This is everything we know about them. Did you know people used to worship them as deities?” 

Sasuke didn’t know that, but he didn’t particularly care. He just grunted in response, regretting asking anything in the first place. 

“Oh, and look at this!” He flipped forward a few more pages, until he reached a full two-page artistic rendering of what must be the Kyuubi. “Did you know they have names? The stupid fox is named Kurama!”

Not discouraged by Sasuke’s lack of response, Naruto continued babbling. “Snake Bastard wasn’t kidding about the Kyuubi being the strongest. Some of the stories in here are crazy!” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I’ve had this thing locked inside me my whole life and I didn’t even know until the incident with Mizuki.” His expression turned stony. “I can’t believe they didn’t tell me anything.”

“I’ve never known you to be so interested in reading,” Sasuke commented absentmindedly, sitting down onto his own bed and pulling out his new sword to sharpen. 

Naruto shrugged. “I wasn’t really allowed in the library, and everything they gave us at the academy was boring. Plus–” his flinched, looking embarrassed. “Ah, nevermind.” 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“No, it’s dumb.” Naruto rubbed at the back of his head. 

He didn’t care. Sasuke did not care at all what Naruto had to say, or what was making him act so nervous. He didn’t care– “Just spit it out.” 

Biting his lip, Naruto averted his eyes. “Uh, I…I’m not the best at reading,” he admitted. “No one really taught me so I sort of had to figure it out and sometimes the words are so hard to focus on anyway and I–” he shook his head. “I actually don’t mind reading, and I kind of like it, when it’s something I’m interested in, it’s just hard to understand the words sometimes, y’know?” He held up the book. “There’s a lot in here that I don’t really understand, but I get the gist of it.” 

Sasuke put his sword down, frowning at his friend. “No one taught you how to read?” 

Naruto shook his head. “No. No one…no one wanted to be around me so…” He shrugged. “I just figured it out.” 

Their time at the academy suddenly made so much more sense. Naruto squinting at the board in confusion, pulling pranks to avoid reading passages out loud, forgetting to turn in assignments. Everyone, Sasuke included, just thought he was stupid, or lazy. But if he was self-taught, it made sense that he struggled sometimes. Sasuke felt himself clenching his fists in anger and disgust. Naruto was just a kid. If the Kyuubi had been sealed within him by the Yondaime, he would have only been minutes old. He had no choice. And the village still treated him like an outcast. Why did that piss him off so much? 

“That’s dumb,” Sasuke growled, his anger bubbling over. 

Naruto actually looked hurt, and ashamed of his shortcomings. Sasuke had never seen him look so small, and it didn’t sit right with him. Naruto always responded to perceived insults in kind, usually loudly. Apparently this was something he was really insecure about. Sasuke didn’t know how to feel about that realization.

“That’s not what I meant,” Sasuke corrected quickly. “I didn’t mean you. I meant that it’s dumb that no one wanted to be around you.” 

“Oh…uh thanks?” 

Sasuke realized that was probably one of the least confrontational things he’d ever said to Naruto. Neither of them really knew how to react to that. They both sat in a heavy silence on opposite sides of the room, not wanting to meet each other’s eyes. 

He shouldn’t offer. Sasuke knew better. Don’t do it. Don’t do it! “If there’s something you don’t understand…maybe I can help?” Dammit. Why did he offer? 

Naruto’s expression first became suspicious, then his entire face lit up with a blinding grin. “Wow, really?” 

“...yeah.” Sasuke couldn’t take it back now. Especially not if the idiot was going to get that excited about it. He’d have to deal with Naruto’s whining all night if he changed his mind. 

Without missing a beat, Naruto leapt up from his own bed and rushed across the room. He plopped down next to Sasuke, their sides touching. Of course he ignored Sasuke’s protests and opened the book on both their laps so they could see the pages. 

“I don’t know what this word means.” Naruto pointed to a passage next to another picture of the Kyuubi. 

Sasuke glared at his roommate, but Naruto didn’t budge. With a sigh, Sasuke relented and turned to look at whatever had Naruto stumped. He wasn’t very good at being patient, but Naruto seemed to understand eventually. Then he pointed to another passage, and another, and another, until they fell into an easy rhythm together. The book was actually pretty interesting, if Sasuke was being honest. He eventually just snapped at Naruto to start from the beginning so they could read through the book together. Naruto was much slower, which frustrated Sasuke to no end, but it felt wrong to mock him about it. It was just so messed up, realizing that no one had even bothered teaching Naruto to read, so he begrudgingly let the other boy set the pace. He knew that his tone was clearly irritated, but Naruto didn’t seem bothered. He’d ask for clarification on something, or sometimes he’d just explain what he was thinking. His thoughts were surprisingly…astute. Well, at least most of the time. Naruto still had the occasional distracted or ridiculous comment here and there, but for the most part, he was shockingly coherent. Sasuke would never admit it outloud, but Naruto was actually not as dumb as he seemed. Who knew? 

It became a nightly ritual, much to Sasuke’s initial displeasure, for them to go through the book together. Without hesitation, Naruto would plop down next to Sasuke and open up the book to whatever page they’d left off on. After a while, Sasuke found that he didn’t actually mind too much. Sure, he’d punch Naruto in the arm if he forgot about personal space, but the casual closeness was not all that terrible. It was new, but not terribly unwelcome. 

The morning after they finished the book, Naruto demanded another. “Hey, Snake Bastard! Got any more books like this?” 

As always, Orochimaru didn’t react outwardly to the insult. He just tilted his head ever so slightly with that stupid “I know something you don’t” smile on his face. “I have an entire library. I’m sure you can find something in there to satisfy your…curiosity.” 

Damn, why did everything he said have to sound so creepy? Sasuke scoffed at the idea of Naruto spending time in a library, browsing books and being quiet. But Naruto had enjoyed reading (or making Sasuke read) the book Orochimaru gave him about the Bijuu. So maybe it wasn’t that far-fetched after all. 

“Perhaps today, though, you would like to join us here?” the snake offered. “I’m sure sparring with Kabuto has become a bit mundane at this point, yes? How about a change of partners?” 

Sasuke frowned at that. Why was Orochimaru trying to get Naruto to join their training session? Before the book, Naruto had vehemently refused anything the snake tried to give him. Naruto wouldn’t train with him, or accept any advice, or really do anything other than glower in between his scuffles with Kabuto. Naruto didn’t make his disdain for the snake Sannin a secret, frequently insisting that he didn’t want anything from the man. 

Naruto considered the offer. He glanced back and forth between Sasuke and Orochimaru. “What’s the catch?” 

“No catch,” the snake promised. “I just think it would be beneficial for both you and Sasuke. Is it not my job as a mentor to help my students grow?” 

“I am not your student,” Naruto snapped, but he didn’t walk away. He glanced at Sasuke, who made sure to keep his face as neutral as possible. 

Sasuke wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea of sharing his new teacher with Naruto. He wanted one-on-one attention, and he wanted an advantage over his friend. Their previous clash had been far too close for Sasuke’s comfort, so he knew he needed to train hard to make sure Naruto never surpassed him again. But on the other hand, Naruto was a good opponent. They knew each other’s movesets well, so they had to constantly adapt when fighting each other. They were well matched, and there was definitely a part of Sasuke that missed sparring with Naruto. Not that he would ever admit it out loud. 

Eventually, Naruto grinned, focused completely on Sasuke. “Well, I have missed kicking your ass, bastard!” He rolled his sleeves up, indicating that he was indeed going to join them.

Sasuke scoffed, but he had to fight to keep the smile off his face. “Whatever, loser. I think you have some memory problems, because I was definitely the one kicking your ass.”   

The pace Orochimaru set for them was brutal, and unlike Kakashi, he didn’t expect them to hold back. In fact, he encouraged them not to. At first, Naruto was reluctant to go all out, but a few days of Sasuke almost maiming him was all it took for the other boy to respond in kind. Years of frustration and anger bubbled to the surface as they sparred, and the snake never stopped them. It was more of a brawl than a spar, really, not ending until one of them was knocked unconscious or passed out from exhaustion. They were both completely beat up, but at the end of the day, they dusted themselves off then went back to their room to sit side-by-side, reading whatever book Naruto had claimed from the library. Sasuke even stopped proofreading the letters Naruto was sending back to Konoha. One day he just had the realization that he did actually trust Naruto, and he didn’t need to micromanage him anymore. It was an odd feeling. He did, however, notice that the letters seemed to be a bit less frequent as the weeks slowly turned into months in their new home.  

Sasuke kept expecting their fights to push them farther apart, and he originally suspected that was Orochimaru’s goal. However, their training had the opposite effect, and it left him wondering what exactly the snake was planning for him and Naruto. Apparently punching out all of their frustration on each other left a lot less rage in their daily lives, and it made living together more tolerable. Pleasant, even. The first time Sasuke automatically reached out to help Naruto up after a sparring session, he didn’t know if he’d surprised himself or his companion more. But Naruto had accepted the offered hand without any complaint, whereas once there would have been excuses and insults instead. 

Naruto was still wary of Orochimaru, but he gradually started accepting the Sannin’s advice so he could keep up with Sasuke. What Sasuke hadn’t expected was how Naruto actually thrived under Orochimaru’s tutelage. For as twisted and creepy as Orochimaru was, he was actually a surprisingly good teacher. Not because he was kind or forgiving by any means, but because he understood how his students thought, and learned. He knew that Sasuke needed to be pushed, and given obvious goals to work toward. And he figured out quickly that Naruto learned best by sheer repetition and hard work. He was patient , in a way that Naruto needed, but not out of any sort of compassion. No, Orochimaru was patient like a predator waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey. But it worked. He didn’t need to belittle or insult Naruto, he just needed to show him what to do, then wait for him to get it right. Apparently, when given the freedom to just practice and tinker until something went right, Naruto was almost…gifted. None of the ways he picked up techniques made any sense to Sasuke, but the results were obvious. It left Sasuke wondering how Naruto would have fared at the academy if he’d just been given a little bit more support, and a safe place to practice in a way that made sense to him. Instead, they’d forced him to learn by studying and rote memorization, which clearly didn’t suit Naruto at all. 

And then there was the praise. Orochimaru learned almost instantly that Naruto thrived on it, and he knew how to use that to motivate him. The snake was never encouraging, and he was always blunt, but that made the rare praise so much more genuine. It was always succinct and straight to the point. An acknowledgement of success, nothing more. But it was still clearly more than Naruto was used to, and the sincerity wasn’t lost on him. Even a nod of approval, or a clipped, “good” were enough to make Naruto fight back a satisfied grin. 

It was still unclear if Naruto understood the game that Orochimaru was playing, but Sasuke repeated to himself that he didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, except getting strong enough to kill Itachi. If Naruto was dumb enough to fall for Orochimaru’s sweet words and acknowledgment, that was his problem. If part of him wanted to punch the stupid, creepy smile off the snake Sannin’s face whenever he praised Naruto, no one had to know. 

—-----------------------------------------

Apparently Tsunade hadn’t been exaggerating when she said she’d work Sakura harder than she’d ever worked in her life. Between the medic training, the chakra control exercises, and the physical conditioning, Sakura was exhausted. She barely managed to drag herself home at the end of each day, and her parents were giving her increasingly worried looks. But the results were slowly becoming apparent. She had to replace her usual assortment of dresses because she was bulking up so much that she couldn’t fit her upper body into them anymore. It was incredibly embarrassing the first time she ripped a garment trying to yank it over her shoulders, but it was also immensely satisfying. Her mother was less amused, but she still chipped in to help Sakura replace her wardrobe. 

That was how she found herself on one of her few days off, frowning at the display window of a small clothing store. It just seemed so insignificant to be here shopping for clothes, when she should be training or studying. Now that she’d been through one round of the Chunin Exams, she had some idea of the kind of information and techniques she needed to know. She also wanted to learn more about different types of jutsu that she might face the next time she took the test. She wouldn’t fail again. 

It had just been so long since she’d done anything normal , like shop for clothes. She used to put so much pride into her appearance, wanting to look good for Sasuke. She flinched at the thought. Her feelings on her missing teammate were still unclear. Part of her still didn’t want to believe that Sasuke would hurt or control Naruto, but she knew how angry he was. She saw what the curse mark did to him, and she saw how he looked at Naruto with nothing but contempt in his eyes. He’d looked at her like that too. Plus, the longer they went without Naruto turning up, the more likely it seemed that he was being kept somewhere against his will…if he was still alive. There was just no reason for him not to come back, and even an idiot like Naruto would have been able to get word to them by now if he was lost somewhere. No, he was either somewhere with Sasuke or…she really didn’t want to think about the alternative. 

Except, she thought about it all the time. She’d asked Naruto, stupid, trusting Naruto, to bring Sasuke back. And of course he’d agreed. He’d agreed without a second thought, and that was the last time Sakura saw him. What if that was the last time she ever saw him? Her ridiculous crush on Sasuke may have gotten Naruto captured or killed, and the guilt was eating away at her. Both Kakashi and Tsunade tried to tell her Naruto went of his own volition, but neither of them had been there when Sakura begged him to go. Even if Naruto had wanted to go, which she didn’t doubt he did, she’d still pushed him. She didn’t know how much her request had affected him. Would he have given up sooner and come back if he wasn’t trying to do what Sakura asked? Would he be here now, smiling and yelling obnoxiously loud about ramen and whatever else was on his mind if Sakura hadn’t asked him to go? 

There were times when she really hated herself. She hated herself for begging Naruto to bring Sasuke back. She hated herself for being so obsessed with Sasuke in the first place. And she hated herself for how she’d treated Naruto. Now she might never have a chance to see his stupid grin again, or hear his boisterous laughter. Sakura never imagined she’d miss hearing Naruto screaming about wanting to be Hokage, but she really did.

To make matters worse, the village’s response to Naruto’s disappearance either made her feel angrier or guiltier. Their classmates were clearly shocked about Sasuke’s betrayal, and saddened about Naruto’s unknown fate. Shikamaru had become uncharacteristically driven in his training, and once Hinata had overcome her intense grief, so had she. She was becoming an absolute powerhouse, her shy demeanor replaced by cold determination. Really, everyone’s training seemed to change after Sasuke and Naruto left. Some of her friends were angry, and wanted vengeance (mostly Kiba), while others were quietly contemplative (Shino). Lee had already made three separate declarations about finding Naruto alive and unharmed. 

And then there were the villagers. Of course Teuchi and his daughter were devastated, but Sakura learned quickly that most of the village was not. The first time Sakura heard one of the shopkeepers laugh and holler a “good riddance” in response to Naruto’s disappearance, she actually punched his door off its hinges with her new strength. Tsunade had given her a half-hearted lecture on controlling her temper, but it was clear she was quite pleased with her student and agreed with her response. 

Sakura knew that people didn’t like Naruto, but she never realized how much they actually hated him. Sure, he was annoying, but he was a good kid. He didn’t deserve the hateful words or the drunken celebration of his absence. Although, Sakura realized with absolute disgust that she would have probably reacted similarly not that long ago. She liked to think that she would have been at least a little worried about her classmate’s disappearance before their time together on Team 7, but she didn’t really know. She’d been cruel to Naruto since they were kids, and if any of the popular kids at the academy cheered about Naruto being gone, she probably would have gone along with it. The thought made her sick. 

Sakura sighed, blinking back the tears that always seemed to be a beat away from spilling over. She had to know what happened to her teammates. She’d never be able to rest until she found out the truth. So why was she here, shopping for clothes of all things? There were books she could be reading, or open training fields that she could occupy or–

“Sakura? Is that you?” 

A familiar voice jerked Sakura from her thoughts. She turned toward the source, feeling an onslaught of mixed emotions when she saw her childhood friend. “Hey, Ino.” 

She didn’t know where she and Ino stood anymore. They had somewhat reconciled after the Chunin Exams, but Sakura knew she’d been distant since her teammates vanished. Really, she’d been distant with everyone. She was too busy training, and when she wasn’t, she didn’t know how to face her friends. She felt responsible for Naruto’s disappearance, and she had no idea if they felt the same way. There were also her mixed feelings about Sasuke. It was hard to hear her classmates talk about him like a criminal. Part of her still believed that it was all a misunderstanding, that he was still the quiet boy she had a crush on, and that part of her hated hearing him talked about so negatively. 

Ino frowned at her appearance. “I almost didn’t recognize you.” 

Sakura knew she looked like a mess. She’d had to throw on one of her dad’s shirts to cover her ripped dress, and she could feel how heavy the bags under her eyes were. “Yeah, I know I’ve looked better.” Sakura laughed dryly. 

“That’s not what I–I mean, you do look exhausted,” Ino replied. “You look strong,” she admitted. “And, I don’t know, focused? I’m just not used to seeing you like that.” 

Sakura shrugged. “I’ve been training hard.” 

Ino gave her a sympathetic look. “Yeah, I get it.” She glanced around. “So, what are you doing here?” 

“Well,” Sakura gestured to her appearance, “I need a new wardrobe.”

Surprisingly, Ino laughed. Genuinely. She placed a hand on Sakura’s shoulder and squeezed. “I could’ve told you that a long time ago,” she teased. 

Sakura glared at her, but it lacked any real venom. “Very funny.” 

“Want some company?” 

Sakura considered the offer. She really hadn’t spent time with anyone that wasn’t Tsunade or Shizune in weeks. Even seeing Kakashi was a rare treat these days. “Sure.” 

The two of them entered the shop, making forced small talk. Sakura really didn’t know what to say to her former (current?) friend. It was oddly mundane, but not in a bad way. Sakura had just gotten so used to doing nothing but training and studying, so spending time doing something as normal as clothes shopping was odd. 

“So,” Ino started, “how have you been holding up?” 

Sakura shrugged. “Ok, I guess. You?” 

“Yeah, just ok.” 

The awkwardness was painful. She almost longed for the days when they were trying to one up each other for Sasuke’s attention. Almost. They could never be those young, naive girls again. Sasuke was a wanted criminal, possibly a murderer. Even if Sakura was still conflicted, Ino didn’t seem to be. She’d seen Ino’s cold gaze at the mention of Sasuke’s name. 

“How about these?” Ino held up a few pairs of pants. 

Sakura shrugged. “Looks fine.” 

It was hard to believe she used to care so much about her appearance. Now she just wanted to pick up some practical clothing as soon as possible, and be done with this ridiculous distraction. None of it really mattered. 

Ino helped her pick out a few comfortable and practical outfits, smiling sadly and telling her which ones would look good with her hair or complexion. That didn’t really matter to Sakura anymore, but she still appreciated the gesture. Some part of her still balked at the idea of dressing like…like Naruto. No regard for fashion, just tossing on whatever clothing monstrosity seemed to catch his eye. Sakura couldn’t help but smile as she thought about Naruto’s stupid orange jumpsuit. 

They checked out at the register, and Sakura couldn’t help but notice that Ino hadn’t bought anything. She remembered when they were kids, they couldn't enter a shop without Ino finding something she wanted to buy. Apparently both of them had changed a lot. 

As they stepped out of the shop, Ino grabbed Sakura’s arm before she could excuse herself. Ino sighed and smiled sadly at her. “Look, I know that we’ve had our differences, but I’m here for you, ok?” Her grip tightened. “I…I’m sorry I haven’t tried to reach out before now but I–” She shook her head. “I’m worried. All of us are.” 

Sakura raised an eyebrow. “Who is ‘us’?”
 

“Your friends,” Ino responded. “Who else?” 

Sakura actually choked up at that. “Ino…” 

The other girl didn’t hesitate, pulling Sakura into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been too much of a coward to face you, but I want you to know that I’m so sorry about everything.” She sniffled. “Please don’t shut us out. We don’t want to lose anyone else,” she admitted quietly. 

Sakura found herself returning the hug. “Thank you,” she replied genuinely. “I’m sorry I haven’t exactly found time for you or anyone else.” 

Ino huffed. “You do not have to apologize for anything, got it? What you’re going through…” she hugged Sakura tighter. “You shouldn’t have to. Not alone.” 

Nodding into her friend’s shoulder, Sakura replied, “Thank you. I think I honestly forgot that I have support.” 

“Of course you do!” Ino responded indignantly. “And,” she swallowed hard, “so does Naruto. I know that not all of us were particularly nice to him growing up, me especially, but we care. We want to help him too.”

“I think he will appreciate knowing that so many people are trying to bring him home,” Sakura said honestly. 

Barely above a whisper, Ino commented, “I hope it’s not too late.” 

“Me too,” Sakura agreed. 

They held each other for a little longer, before they separated. Both of them wiped tears from their eyes. Ino offered her a supportive smile. “Come train with us some time. I know you’re the Hokage’s hot-shot apprentice now, but even us little people might be useful,” she joked. 

Sakura shoved her playfully. “I don’t need you to be useful to convince me to visit.” She looked away a bit awkwardly. “I guess I sort of got a little lost in my training. I just…I just need to–” she shook her head. 

Ino place a comforting hand on her arm. “You will.” She seemed to understand what Sakura was trying to say. “You’ll be the one to find them, I know it.” 

Sakura nodded gratefully. She opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by a presence suddenly flickering at her side. She and Ino blinked in surprise as an ANBU operative appeared in front of them. They were wearing a tiger mask. 

“Miss Haruno?” Their voice was soft and smooth. “Lady Tsunade has requested your presence at once.”  

Both girls exchanged a confused look. Sakura nodded at the operative. “I’m on my way.” 

The masked nin didn’t give her any further acknowledgement before flickering out of sight again. Ino shook her head in disbelief. “Wow. Being summoned by the Hokage via ANBU? That’s pretty cool.” 

Sakura shrugged, a heavy feeling in her gut. “I just hope it’s not anything bad.” 

Ino gave her a sympathetic look. “I won’t make you wait, then.” She hugged Sakura one more time. “Seriously, I’m here if you need me. We all are.” 

Sakura returned the gesture. “Thank you. I promise I will try to remember that.” 

They parted after that, with an amicable wave. Even though she was terrified to find out why she was being summoned out of the blue, part of her still felt warm and fuzzy knowing that Ino, and their other friends, were looking out for her. Since Sasuke and Naruto’s disappearance, she’d felt like she needed to carry this burden on her own, but maybe she was wrong. 

It took no time at all to arrive at Hokage Tower, and she was let in immediately. Sakura climbed the stairs, two steps at a time. The doors to Tsunade’s office were opened, revealing a group of familiar faces huddled around something on the Hokage’s desk. 

Tsunade noticed her and waved her over. “Sakura, I need you to look at this.” 

With her heart hammering in her chest, Sakura approached the desk. Kakashi was looking at her sadly, while Tsunade and Shizune were whispering something to each other. Sakura also noticed that Ino’s father was present, frowning at a piece of paper. 

“Would you recognize your teammates’ handwriting?” Tsunade asked as she approached. 

Sakura nodded. “Yes.” 

Tsunade motioned for Inoichi to slide the paper toward Sakura. She gasped when she recognized the familiar messy scrawl. “Naruto…” 

“As we thought,” Tsunade replied dryly. 

Since no one was stopping her, Sakura greedily consumed the contents of the letter. It was Naruto’s handwriting, alright. 

Hey Granny! 

I just wanted to write to you so you didn’t think I was dead or something. I figured you might be worried! I’m fine, I just have some stuff I need to do and won’t be back for a while. Sorry, can’t tell you more. 

I miss you all though! And I miss good ramen, there’s none around where I am. Not a single ramen shop, can you imagine?! 

I have seen some cool stuff, though! I’ve never really gotten to travel much so this is all kind of new. I tried a local curry dish that was really spicy, but good. Not as good as Ichiraku, obviously, but it’s kind of cool to try different stuff. Oh, and I found a really neat frog backpack! 

There was a silly doodle of a cartoon frog between this line and the next.

Anyway, I’ll try to write when I can. Say hi to Iruka-sensei and Sakura and Kakashi-sensei and Teuchi and–

There was a very long list of every person Naruto was even remotely friendly with. 

I promise that I’ll be back someday, but I don’t know when. I have to figure some stuff out on my own first, but I’ll still be back to be Hokage one day, believe it! 

PS I realized I accidentally stole one of Kiba’s kunai, my bad! I totally meant to give it back but I forgot. I’ll take good care of it until I get back!

Your favorite number one unpredictable ninja, 

Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage

Sakura stared down at the letter, frantically wiping at her eyes to avoid dipping tears onto it. “This is really from Naruto?” 

Inoichi exchanged a glance with Tsunade before sighing. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Look.” He grabbed the open envelope, letting Sakura examine it. “This handwriting is totally different.” 

Sakura frowned. She recognized the neat, methodical script. “That’s Sasuke’s writing.” 

“That’s what I suspected,” Inoichi groaned. 

“What does this mean?” Sakura questioned. 

Inoichi snorted. “Hell if I know. Uchiha could have written this, pretending to be Naruto, to throw us off his trail. Maybe he slipped up when addressing the letter. Or maybe it’s a coded message that Naruto managed to get out.” 

Both Kakashi and Sakura actually laughed. “Ah, no, I don’t think Naruto wrote any kind of secret code. Not any that would be able to fool Sasuke, anyway,” Sakura admitted. “And Sasuke doesn’t really make mistakes like that. If he was pretending to be Naruto, he wouldn’t have forgotten halfway through.” 

Kakashi nodded in agreement. “I’m with Sakura on this. Naruto isn’t really the type to write in code. If there is a code, that would only be more proof that someone else wrote it.” 

Inoichi nodded in understanding. “I still have to be thorough, of course. Intelligence will look over this and see if we can find any clues. Even if there’s no code, maybe we can figure out where this was sent from, or if it was really written by a single person.” 

“But at least this means Naruto’s ok though, right?” Sakura pressed. 

Tsunade gave her a sympathetic look. “We can hope. But, we don’t know for sure. I imagine that the Sharingan would make it pretty easy to copy handwriting.” 

Sakura deflated. “Yeah, I guess it would.” 

The group continued exchanging theories, and Sakura felt overtaken by numbness. Kakashi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed, but didn’t say anything. All of them were discussing how Sasuke could have managed to send the letter to look like Naruto was writing to them. What if it was really just Naruto, being Naruto? Why did it have to be something malicious? 

“Is there anything we can use to figure out where it came from?” Tsunade asked. 

Inochi shook his head. “Nothing obvious, at least. The letter came from a hub, so even if we check there we’d have no idea where it came from. And there didn’t seem to be any useful details in the letter either. It could have been sent from anywhere.”

Tsunade hummed thoughtfully. “I’d like to send a team to the hub anyway to look around. Maybe talk to the workers and see if anyone recognizes where the letter came from, or if they’ve seen others.” 

“Please send me,” Sakura asked immediately. 

“Of course,” Tsunade replied. “I thought Shikamaru could lead a team with you, Ino, Kiba, and Hinata.” 

A good mix. Sakura nodded in approval. “When do we leave?” 

“As soon as possible. The longer we wait, the colder the trail will get.” Tsunade’s face fell. “Although, I expect the trail is already pretty cold. Don’t get your hopes up.” 

“I won’t,” she promised, although she didn’t know if she meant it. It was the first tiny spark of hope they’d felt since Naruto and Sasuke had disappeared. She couldn’t help herself. 

“Go pack. I’ll summon the others to brief them.” Tsunade waved her off. 

Sakura gave her mentor a respectful bow, then turned to leave the office. She was surprised to see Kakashi fall into step beside her. He didn’t look at her directly, but Sakura knew he was itching to say something. She stopped walking as they exited the tower, fixing her instructor with a curious look. 

Kakashi leaned against the building, looking solemn. “I just want to make sure you’re prepared for what you could find.” 

“We probably won’t find anything,” Sakura admitted dryly. 

“True,” Kakashi agreed, “but I meant in general. If you do manage to come across Sasuke, or find out what he’s been up to, are you ready to face him?” 

Sakura stiffened. “What do you mean?” 

Kakashi gave her a flat look. “You know what I mean,” he accused.

Purposefully, Sakura didn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll do what I have to.” She turned to walk away. 

A hand landed on Sakura’s shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. “It’s ok to be conflicted. But if you can’t do what needs to be done, you need to make sure your team leader knows. If you do manage to find Sasuke, you can’t let your personal feelings get in the way.” 

“We still don’t know all the details,” Sakura replied dryly. 

Kakashi knew what she meant. How she was really saying they didn’t know the details of Sasuke’s betrayal. They didn’t know the details of what happened to Naruto, and if he was ok. She still struggled to believe that he could be capable of hurting their teammate. But she wasn’t stupid, nor was she still a naive little kid. If Sasuke had hurt Naruto, she wouldn’t hesitate. She was just more willing than others to hold out hope that he hadn’t done something so horrible.  

Sakura turned to face Kakashi. “I won’t let my feelings get in the way,” she promised. “I’m just trying to withhold judgment until I know all the facts. I still want to believe that Sasuke wouldn’t really hurt Naruto, but I won’t let that stop me from finding out the truth, and I won’t let it stop me from protecting Naruto, if it comes to that.” 

Kakashi’s expression softened. He ruffled her hair affectionately. “You’re a good kid, Sakura. I know you’ll be the one to bring Naruto home.” 

It wasn’t lost on Sakura how he only said “Naruto” and not “Naruto and Sasuke”. Kakashi had already seemed to give up any hope of redemption for Sasuke, and had already written him off as guilty. She didn’t like thinking about how quickly Kakashi had been willing to throw Sasuke under the bus. 

Frowning, Sakura grumbled, “I can’t believe you of all people would be so willing to give up on one of your students so quickly.” She shook her head. “‘Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.’” 

Kakashi tensed as Sakura recited the familiar mantra, but in a flash his face was back to his usual lazy, carefree expression. “I think you and I are thinking the same thing, but with two very different interpretations.” He waved nonchalantly as he walked past her. “If you can give Naruto even half of the devotion you’ve given Sasuke, I know there is no force in the world that will keep him from returning to Konoha. Good luck, and be safe.” 

Sakura was stunned as she watched her sensei walk away. Was this really what he thought of her? That she couldn’t see past her own crush on Sasuke to acknowledge the harm he may have caused? She knew Sasuke was angry, and she knew he had it in him to seriously hurt Naruto. But there was a big jump between their stupid scuffles and killing or kidnapping him! Was it really so crazy for her to hold onto the hope that Sasuke wasn’t such a horrible person? 

She flinched as she realized where her thoughts were going. Maybe Kakashi was right. What was her motivation for holding so firmly onto the belief that Sasuke hadn’t hurt Naruto? She’d be lying if she said it was only because she wanted Naruto to be ok. She cared about him, of course. Naruto had become one of her closest friends…hadn’t he? 

When she thought about Naruto and their relationship, it pained her to realize that she’d kept him at arm’s length for so long. Had she ever told him that she cared? The only time she’d shown him any kind of affection was when she was begging him to bring Sasuke back. She knew he had a crush on her and that he would do whatever she asked. She did care about him, more than she realized, but she also started to slowly understand that Kakashi had a point. 

Even though Naruto may have given his life to honor her request, she was still being stupid and selfish. She may have sent him to his death, and somewhere in her subconscious she was still more concerned about her stupid crush on Sasuke than Naruto’s well-being. The realization made her feel physically ill. 

Sakura doubled over, holding her hand over her mouth to hold back her choked sobs. She was awful, wasn’t she? For all her talk about Naruto, she was still putting Sasuke first. Of course she was really worried about Naruto, it wasn’t an act by any means, but she felt so ridiculous that it took Kakashi’s probing commentary to make her realize what she’d been doing. Her insistence on not seeing Sasuke as a villain had nothing to do with wanting Naruto ok, and everything to do with making her feel better about still having feelings for Sasuke. 

Straightening up, Sakura steeled her resolve. No more. Her stupid crush was ruining lives. Naruto’s friends were devastated by his disappearance and Naruto himself might not even still be alive. She knew she couldn’t make her feelings go away, but she could at least stop putting them above everyone else. 

Later that day, when she met up with her temporary team, even Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the determined look on her face. Things would be different, she’d make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Dear Granny,

Hi again! Sorry, it’s been a while since my last letter. I’m pretty bad at keeping track of time hehehe. 

I miss you, and everyone in the village. I miss Ichiraku (obviously) but there’s other stuff I miss too. I wasn’t expecting that, to be honest. It’s not like I was allowed to go a lot of places or do a lot of things, but there’s still lots of memories, I guess. 

I miss seeing all the Hokages up on the monument. It was like a reminder of what I was aiming for, y’know? Not that I’d forget without them! I still remember, of course, but it’s just different. I’m meeting lots of different people and learning things too. I’m actually reading a lot, can you believe it?! I like reading, but I wasn’t really allowed in the library, and I didn’t have extra money to buy books. All I had was stuff for school, which was boring, and hard to understand. The stuff I’m reading now is super cool though! 

Is it weird that I miss the library, even though I couldn’t go in? One of the library ladies (I forgot what they’re called) was nice and would sometimes throw out extra food that was still good so I could take it from the garbage. My friend says that my standards are low but I still think it was really nice! She didn’t have to do that! So it’s kind of a nice memory, even though the other library ladies and dudes weren’t so nice. One time one of them threw a really heavy book at me. It hurt a lot…

Anyway, there’s lots of other stuff I miss too! You guys, of course, but also how the village looked at night. I know, I know, another weird one, but hear me out! I used to sit up on the Yondaime’s head and just look down at the village and it was so cool. All the lights were super shiny, and the crickets were really loud. It was peaceful. No one bothered me up there and I could pretend I was a friendly giant, looking down on a bunch of ants hahaha! 

Sometimes I think about coming home, but I can’t yet. Just know that I miss you all! 

Love, 

Naruto

Hiya Granny!

Me again! But you probably guessed that. 

I don’t have much to say this week, been kinda busy. I’m getting super strong, and super buff! You won’t even recognize me when you see me :P 

Wait actually I did think of some stuff! I’ve been growing my hair out, and it looks super cool! I’m not used to it being so long though, so sometimes I feel it touch the back of my neck and it kind of freaks me out. I thought about cutting it a little but I feel like I wouldn’t do a good job. I’m not good at that sort of thing. I used to cut my hair when I was real little but then Iruka-sensei started helping me, which was great because I looked really dumb when I tried to do it. Sakura, I bet you never had that problem, your hair always looks super good!!!

Oh oh, I learned this super cool taijutsu move that I can’t wait to show Bushy Brows! It’s like hiYAH. Or KApoW. Don’t make me try to describe it. It’s hard to explain, but I swear it’s super cool. My taijutsu is getting better, and so is my chakra control. I’m getting better at my rasengan too! Plus other super secret stuff that I can’t tell you yet hehe. Someday! I can’t wait. 

Oh I did see a cool bug today! Lemme try and draw it for you…

[A crude scribble of an unidentifiable winged insect]

Love, 

Naruto

Hi Granny,

Can you make sure to say extra hellos to Iruka-sensei today? I’m just missing him a lot. Not a lot of people were nice to me when I was little. I know I’ve got lots of important people now, but it didn’t used to be like that. I dunno what’s up with me today, sorry. Just thinking about how things used to be, I guess. Sometimes I think too much about it and I get I guess it’s one of those days, y’know?

Sorry to be kind of depressing today! I guess I’m a little homesick, but not really for a place, but like for a person. Does that make sense? I just saw something that reminded me of a story Iruka-sensei told me once and it made me miss him. 

Hope you’re all doing good! 

Love, 

Naruto

Hey Granny,

I’ve been thinking a lot about the village lately. A little while ago I learned that there are other people like me. They’re called gin jinn jinsomething jinchuuriki. Did you know? I didn’t know. But you probably knew. It seems like something you would know, as the Hokage. Would you have told me? I think Gaara is one too. When I met him, there was something familiar about him, but I thought it was just that our stories were so similar. I think it was more than that. Who are the others? Do their villages treat them badly too? 

I wish I’d known that there were other people like me. Maybe I would have felt It would have been nice to know. 

Love, 

Naruto

Hi Granny,

Could you pass this letter to Sakura and Kakashi-sensei? I realized I haven’t said hi to them in a while. Hi!!! I don’t want you to think I’m not thinking about you guys! We’re still all part of Team 7, y’know? I wish I could tell you more about the cool stuff I’m learning but it’s a secret. A SUPER secret. Haha. But just know when I get back, I’m gonna be AWESOME!

Love, 

Naruto

Hi Granny,

Today is a bad day. I keep thinking about how much stuff no one ever told me. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me? I only found out about the fox with Mizuki-sensei

There’s a lot of stars where I am. I mean, I know there’s lots of stars everywhere but they’re different. I read that the couns consta constelat constellations are different depending on where in the world you are. Isn’t that neat? Maybe we learned that in school, but I probably wouldn’t remember. Here’s a secret: I would pretend to be asleep when I got called on cuz I couldn’t read I never really thought about stuff like that before. They’re really pretty. I didn’t used to notice that kind of stuff but I have time now. It’s nice. 

Love, 

Naruto

Granny,

Sorry the last letter was kinda short and sad. Sometimes I just think about everything and I get really angry I just have a lot of time to think about stuff now. 

I just wanted to let you know you might not hear from me for a while. I gotta go do something super cool and totally dangerous. I might even make a new friend! I’ll talk to you again when I’m back. 

Love, 

Naruto

—-----------------------------------------

All things considered, everything was going well living with Naruto under Orochimaru’s tutelage. In fact, Sasuke sometimes worried it was going too well. He didn’t know exactly how long he and Naruto had been living in Orochimaru’s lair, but the passage of time was undeniable. Naruto’s hair had grown longer, and more unruly, and he was starting to outgrow his clothes. He was taller, a bit taller than Sasuke now (a fact that he frequently liked to brag about), and he’d started to bulk up. The combination of Orochimaru’s strict training, and a lack of available junk food was quickly changing Naruto from a scrawny kid into a proper shinobi. Sasuke figured he probably looked similar, but there was a distinct lack of mirrors around Orochimaru’s hideout to confirm. He knew his hair had grown longer as well, but he’d sliced off the excess with a kunai once Naruto noted it was long enough to pull up. It reminded Sasuke too much of Itachi.

It wasn’t just their physical appearances that were changing. Sasuke knew he was becoming more focused, and so was Naruto. Naruto still carried a strong disdain for Orochimaru, but he no longer bothered to refuse the Sannin’s teachings. His hypervigilance seemed to have calmed down with time, although he still fidgeted anxiously whenever Sasuke announced that he’d be gone on a mission with Orochimaru. 

Their worst fight since the Valley of the End had been right before Sasuke’s first mission. Naruto had been adamant about not letting Sasuke go alone, but Sasuke was tired of his companion’s nagging. They’d screamed at each other, then ended up seriously injuring each other when the disagreement turned physical. Naruto was getting better at calling the Kyuubi’s chakra, and Sasuke was getting better at using the curse mark’s power, so the skirmish got a bit out of hand. Both of them ended up so beat up that Sasuke couldn’t go on his mission in the end, which Naruto was far too smug about. However, he did eventually relent, albeit very hesitantly, that he was being too overbearing. Once Sasuke had healed up, Naruto let him leave without further protest. 

Since then, Sasuke had started taking regular missions with Orochimaru or some of his followers. Kabuto was his least favorite, probably because he had to deal with Naruto complaining about the older boy every other night and he was sick of hearing the guy’s name. He seemed to hate Naruto as much as Naruto hated him, and for some reason that only added to Sasuke’s own disdain toward Kabuto as well. 

Naruto never went on any missions. He loudly refused to even consider it, even though Sasuke had no idea if the option was even offered to him. Still, it was obvious that Naruto was getting antsy. He clearly hated the idea of doing any kind of work for Orochimaru, but his restlessness couldn’t be subdued even with more training, reading, or letter writing. 

So maybe, given how much Naruto despised sitting still, Sasuke should have known it was coming eventually. But he was still caught off guard when Naruto started packing his bag and announced he’d be gone for a few days on a mission. 

Sasuke frowned at his roommate. “I thought you didn’t want to work for Orochimaru.” 

“I don’t,” Naruto scoffed. “But I’m bored,” he whined, “and it just so happened that the Snake Bastard had a job that didn’t involve anything creepy.”

“I doubt that,” Sasuke grumbled in response. 

“No, really,” Naruto insisted. “Apparently we’re gonna go save someone!” 

Sasuke scoffed at his friend’s naivety. “If Orochimaru is interested in them, I can guarantee he’s not ‘saving’ them.” 

Naruto stuck his tongue out in response. “I think you’re just jealous that I get a super cool rescue mission, while you’re stuck doing the Snake Bastard’s gross chores.” 

“Shut up,” Sasuke snapped. “At least I’ll get some peace and quiet for a while, with you gone.” 

“Nah, you’re gonna miss me, bastard! Just admit it!” 

“Tch. Definitely not.” 

They continued to bicker as Naruto finished packing his bag. He was being surprisingly diligent about his packing, with one of his books being the only non-essential item he was bringing. It reminded Sasuke how much his friend had changed in the months they’d been here. Naruto was still as loud and obnoxious as ever, but there was a seriousness that Sasuke wasn’t used to. Maybe Naruto was finally growing up. 

Or maybe, Orochimaru was wearing him down. Sasuke knew how he kept dangling tidbits of information, and how Naruto snatched all of them up without a second thought. The more he learned from the snake, the more frustrated he seemed to become with the secrets that were kept from him. Sasuke didn’t miss how Naruto’s letters were becoming shorter, and decreasing in frequency. More than once, he saw Naruto retrieve the letter he’d written in anger during their early days here. He’d add a few hastily scribbled lines, scowl at the paper, before ultimately shoving it back into the drawer of the small nightstand he’d acquired. 

Sasuke didn’t know what to think about the change in Naruto’s demeanor, so he mostly ignored it. As long as Naruto didn’t get in his way, it didn’t matter. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself. It was the mantra he repeated when he caught the uncharacteristic scowl on Naruto’s normally bright face as he’d gripped his most recent letter in his hands. He’d been debating whether or not to send it at all, apparently, though ultimately his cheery expression returned and he sent the letter off without a word. 

Once Naruto’s bag was packed, he grinned and said his goodbyes, before walking out the door. Sasuke just grunted in response, looking forward to having his own room for at least a few days. If all went well, maybe he could even start to work on getting his own room full time. He kept meaning to bring it up to Orochimaru, but in the grand scheme of things it was too inconsequential to remember day to day. He assumed that having his own space for a couple of days would renew his enthusiasm for the idea. 

The first thing Sasuke noticed about Naruto’s absence was the quiet. He almost audibly scoffed at the thought. Of course it was quieter without Naruto, the world’s loudest, most in-your-face shinobi. It was relaxing, at first. He hadn’t really had proper quiet since he left Konoha. Even when Naruto wasn’t talking, he was making noise. He was either humming and muttering while he scribbled out his letters, or he was murmuring the words in his book under his breath to help comprehend them. Even when he was sleeping, he wasn’t quiet. He snored, and shifted around. It drove Sasuke crazy the first few nights, but then it had become oddly soothing. For some reason, it was easier to sleep knowing there was someone else in the room. Specifically, someone else that he trusted. 

Without Naruto’s overwhelming presence, the quiet became almost uncomfortable. He didn’t sleep as well, and felt more on guard. On principle, he almost went to find another room of his own so he wouldn’t be so reliant on another person. On Naruto. Part of him was absolutely revolted at how dependent he seemed to have become on his companion. He trained with Naruto, ate his meals with Naruto, and spent his meager free time with Naruto. In fact, they spent more time together than they ever did in Konoha. 

The time apart gave Sasuke time to reflect on the turn their relationship had taken. His first instinct was to pull away, for a multitude of reasons. For one, he didn’t want Naruto getting in the way of his goal. Nothing could come between him and his revenge. Was Naruto becoming a distraction? 

Sasuke surprised himself as he immediately wanted to deny the allegation. He was training harder than ever, and so was Naruto. He was motivated to seek out Orochimaru because Naruto was surpassing him, and Konoha couldn’t help Sasuke keep up. Even now, he was most efficient when he trained with Naruto. There was something about the way that they pushed each other, and challenged each other, that could not be replicated with any of the other opponents Orochimaru threw at him. 

Part of Sasuke wanted to reject their bond on principle, because wasn’t that part of the reason he’d left Konoha in the first place? He couldn’t have useless ideals like friendship get in the way of his destiny. And yet, Naruto being here had only benefited him. He was stronger, because of his training with Naruto. There was also no doubt in his mind that when the day came for him to face his brother, Naruto wouldn’t hesitate to stand by his side. Once, he would have laughed at the idea of Naruto ever being strong enough to stand a chance against Itachi, but now he saw the other boy’s potential alongside his own. He’d already decided he wasn’t going to follow his older brother’s sadistic advice on how to advance his Sharingan, and that he would follow his own path. That made the need for a strong ally even more imperative. So really, there was no logical reason to distance himself from Naruto anymore.

However, that didn’t erase the fear that he kept hidden, the one he would never admit to. The thought of getting close to another person brought about an irrational, deeply buried worry about experiencing another loss. He knew how badly loss could hurt, and he had no desire to experience it again. To guard his own heart, it would probably be wise to cut his ties with Naruto right now. If he asked Orochimaru, the snake might even send Naruto back to Konoha. Maybe. Orochimaru did seem to have some kind of dark interest in the other boy, very different from his interest in Sasuke. Regardless, it wouldn't be difficult to set up an “accidental” meeting with Naruto and someone from the village. They’d take him back, or he’d crumble under their disappointment in his abandonment of the village and return willingly. 

Sasuke’s resolve to sever his bond with Naruto weakened with each day that Naruto did not return. The few days that Naruto promised turned into a week, and then two. Sasuke tried asking Kabuto, who had been left in charge of operations in his master’s stead, but he just smirked in response. Sasuke assumed it would be made obvious in the hideout if anything happened to Orochimaru, so he wasn’t worried, but he was becoming increasingly irritated and frustrated as they entered the third week of Naruto’s absence. 

Finally, the hideout started whispering of its master’s return. The temperature shifted, rising a few degrees to accommodate the snake’s cold bloodedness, and then the rats started scurrying out of the walls as if they smelled a predator. The snakes arrived first, hissing and slithering around the hideout, but the Sannin was not far behind. Sasuke saw him as he arrived, looking smug, per usual. He always had this glint in his eye, like he was ten steps ahead of everyone else around him. 

The rest of Orochimaru’s cronies filed in, but Sasuke ignored them. Something, which Sasuke couldn’t identify, seemed to settle in his chest as he caught sight of his familiar blond idiot. He hadn’t been worried, of course. He was just annoyed that his teacher was gone for so long with another student. Orochimaru was supposed to be training him, not gallivanting around with Naruto. There was no other reason to feel relieved that Naruto had returned. 

When Naruto noticed him, his entire face lit up and split into a blinding grin. “Hey, bastard! Didja miss me?” 

“No,” Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes. For some reason, he was finding it difficult not to smile. 

Naruto was already jogging over to him, still grinning. Sasuke noted that he didn’t appear worse for wear. He was a bit dirty, but not sporting any new injuries. That wasn’t saying much, considering Naruto’s ridiculous healing abilities, but even he would have some evidence of injury if he’d been seriously hurt. Sasuke couldn't help his curiosity over what could have extended the length of Naruto’s mission. He still didn’t believe that they were actually saving someone, like Orochimaru had claimed. It just wasn’t the man’s style, unless he got something out of it. Like a new test subject. 

Naruto hadn’t seen the end results of Orochimaru’s experiments, but Sasuke had. Wisely, the Snake Sannin chose to keep Naruto in the dark about some of the more unsavory aspects of his experiments. Sasuke knew now that Naruto wasn’t as stupid and oblivious as he seemed, but he was incredibly naive. He obviously knew that Orochimaru was sick and experimented on both humans and animals, but there was no way he had any idea what the extent of it was. If he did, he would have thrown a fit. 

Sasuke didn’t feel guilty about keeping the truth from him, even if he himself wholeheartedly objected to many of Orochimaru’s experiments. He might not have a bleeding heart like Naruto, but he wasn’t as twisted as his master. If he didn’t need Orochimaru to gain power, he would have happily helped Naruto destroy the snake’s lab and everything in it. Maybe someday, when he’d gotten everything he needed from Orochimaru, they could leave a trail of destruction as a parting gift for the Sannin. 

“You’ll never guess what happened!” Naruto grinned as he stopped just in front of Sasuke. “I mean, I still can’t believe everything I learned! It’s like, everytime I think I know everything, I just get proven wrong again and again.” His expression briefly turned stormy, but then his grin returned like it had never left. “Ah, anyway, I should just show you!” Naruto turned and shouted over his shoulder, “Hey! C’mere and meet Sasuke! He’s kind of a moody jerk but you’ll learn to like him.” 

Sasuke had a harsh retort on the tip of his tongue, but it didn’t make it past his lips. He was processing Naruto’s words and actions. Naruto was waving someone else over, and chatting animatedly about how they’d met and what they’d talked about. Apparently, Orochimaru really had “saved” someone. It was still undoubtedly for his own gain, but there was living proof in front of him that Orochimaru had taken Naruto on a mission to pluck some girl out of a dangerous situation. He should be curious about why, and what made the girl so special, but he found himself feeling oddly irritated by the newcomer’s presence. Naruto was acting so familiar with her, babbling and promising to show her around. For some reason, it really got under his skin. 

What was so special about this girl, anyway? Her features weren’t particularly recognizable, or spectacular in any way. Her bright red hair and glasses were distinctive enough that he assumed he would recognize her if she was in the Bingo Book. She didn’t look like she could fight, nor did she carry herself like a confident shinobi. Also, she was staring at Sasuke with a look that he recognized all too well from the annoying girls at the academy. 

Immediately, Sasuke felt himself closing off. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, but that didn’t seem to deter her. She was flushing bright red, her face almost matching her hair. The odd thing was, despite her obvious interest in Sasuke, she stuck close to Naruto with a strange kind of familiarity. 

Naruto was blissfully unaware of Sasuke irritation, per usual. Still wearing the same stupid grin he said, “So, what did I tell you, Karin? He’s totally not all that great close up, right?” 

Karin didn’t seem to be following the same line of thinking. Her blush intensified. “H-hey, Sasuke. You probably don’t remember me, but–” 

“I don’t,” he interjected. “And whatever you’re going to say, I don’t care.” 

Karin just blinked at him, her eyes wide behind her glasses. Conversely, Naruto seemed extremely offended on her behalf. He scowled and crossed his arms, trying to match Sasuke’s glare. 

“Would it kill you to not act like an asshole for once?” Naruto grumbled. 

Sasuke shot back, “Would it kill you to not act like a giant pain in the ass for once?” 

Naruto’s scowl deepened. “What’s your problem? You’re acting more like a stuck up jerk than usual! Just say ‘hi’ like a normal person, you weirdo!” 

“Why?” he snapped. “In case you forgot, we’re not here playing house, Naruto. I have more important shit to do than make small talk with one of Orochimaru’s new playthings.” 

Both Karin and Naruto stiffened at the statement. Karin seemed more lost and overwhelmed than upset, but Naruto looked furious. Briefly, it crossed Sasuke’s mind that he was being unnecessarily cruel, but he didn’t care. Something about the situation was just pissing him off. He didn’t know Karin, or why she was suddenly glued to Naruto’s side, despite having just met him. He didn’t know why, but the sight kept feeding his anger. 

“Now you’re just being mean for no reason!” Naruto shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls. 

It sounded like Naruto was two seconds away from throwing a tantrum like a toddler. “If you think she’s here to be anything else, then you’re either a moron, or you’re delusional. Grow up,” he snarled. “If you can’t stand to face the reality of our situation, then you should just leave.” 

“The reality of–” Naruto’s face was flushed with anger. “Oh yeah? Then what does that make you, Sasuke? You think that you’re not one of Snake Bastard’s ‘playthings’ too?” he growled. “You’re the one that practically delivered himself here on a silver platter! Don’t act like you’re so much better than everyone else just because that creep wants your body!” 

“The fuck did you just say to me, dead last?” Sasuke snapped back. 

“You heard me!” 

“At least I have a reason for being here,” Sasuke said venomously. “You weren’t even wanted here.” 

Red bled into Naruto’s eyes, his pupils constricting into slits. “You asked me to come with you!” he snarled, the pitch of his voice lowered. 

Karin gasped and backed away from Naruto so fast she nearly tripped over herself. “You–you’re chakra…what are you?” 

Naruto ignored her in favor of glowering at Sasuke. For some reason, he felt a vicious satisfaction in the action. He didn’t really know why he was angry, or why he was goading Naruto, but something in the back of his head was egging him on. His heart was pounding with excitement and anticipation as Naruto’s growls turned more animalistic, and his teeth and nails sharpened into points. On instinct, Sasuke let the curse mark’s energy wash over him, basking in the sudden rush of power he felt. He felt his own body changing in response to his strong emotions. It hurt, as the curse mark forced physical changes onto his body, but he was used to ignoring it by now. It didn’t matter. All that mattered right now was that he had Naruto’s full attention. 

Sasuke expected it when the red chakra emerged. Naruto could call upon that sliver of the Kyuubi’s power now practically at will. Orochimaru had been particularly brutal in that part of Naruto’s training, forcing him into dangerous or emotional situations that were bound to call upon the fox’s power. Eventually, it became easier for Naruto to use voluntarily, and to stay in control. Well, relatively in control. There was no doubt that Naruto’s mind was hazy with rage in this state, but the same could probably be said about using the curse mark. 

With a vicious snarl, Naruto ran at him, down on all fours. Sasuke met him head on, blocking a swipe from Naruto’s claws just in time. He activated his Sharingan and pressed forward for a counter attack. His elbow caught Naruto in the jaw with a sickeningly satisfying crunch. Sasuke didn’t have time to gloat, before Naruto whirled back around and kicked him so hard in the chest he was smashed through the nearest wall. 

Naruto was on him again in an instant, clawing and snapping his sharpened teeth more like an animal than a human. Sasuke had to catch his wrists and hold him back to keep Naruto from going for his throat. He didn’t think Naruto would actually kill him, as long as he remained in control. It was still a bit iffy with the Kyuubi’s chakra.

Either way, it was exhilarating. Maybe he was lacking self preservation, but there was just something about fighting all out with Naruto that went unmatched. Judging by the vicious grin on his friend’s face as he threw him back, Naruto seemed to be feeling the same way. 

In a familiar dance, Naruto started readying a rasengan with a pair of clones, and Sasuke responded automatically in kind with his chidori. His two clones popped, and then he was running at Sasuke again, yelling at the top of his lungs. Sasuke used the curse mark’s power to propel himself forward, until they were both on a collision course. Their attacks met, as their momentum forced both of them slightly upward. The resulting explosion burst through the ceiling and shot them both in opposite directions. The pain briefly made him black out. 

Sasuke groaned in pain, squeezing his eyes shut for a few moments to allow the stars to clear from his vision. When he was finally able to see, he realized that the explosion had forced him up and out, all the way through the outer wall. If it weren’t for the curse mark, he probably wouldn’t have walked away from that. 

A few moments later, Naruto was clawing his way out of a pile of rubble, crawling through the hole that their attack had made. He blinked a few times as his own vision adjusted to the midday sun, his pupils still constricted into animalistic slits. When he caught sight of Sasuke, he growled, and readied himself for another attack. 

Sasuke smirked, and mirrored his stance as he got to his feet, only a little wobbly. They ran at each other again, exchanging blows. Neither of them cared that they were slamming into the walls of the hideout, ruining the foundation. Nor did they care when their battle devolved into a brutal wrestling match, both of them rolling around in the dirt as they struggled for control. 

It wasn’t clear how long they fought, but eventually they were no longer scowling or snarling at each other. Naruto laughed first, when he didn’t completely avoid a punch to his face, but Sasuke wasn’t far behind, laughing when Naruto’s sharp claws slashed through his shoulder. It hurt like hell, but neither of them cared. Their anger had subsided in the heat of battle, like it so often did with them. Still, neither of them were willing to be the first to give up. They were both far too stubborn and too proud for that. 

They kept fighting, even as both of them were down to their last reserves. They still kept fighting, throwing lazy punches that would normally have embarrassed both of them with their sloppiness. They even kept fighting when both of them were on their backs, side by side and desperately trying to get enough air into their lungs. Naruto kicked out at his leg, no force behind it, and Sasuke responded with the same. They only stopped when neither of them could move anymore, beyond taking in harsh breaths. 

When the curse mark receded, and the Kyuubi’s chakra followed, they finally stopped. Both of them lay still, the pain catching up to them as their adrenaline faded. Sasuke managed to tilt his head to the side, so he could look at Naruto properly. The other boy had his eyes squeezed shut, his teeth gritted in pain. When he felt Sasuke’s gaze on him, he cracked open one eye, and managed a shit-eating grin. 

“Hah,” he wheezed, “now will you admit it?” 

“What?” Sasuke breathed. 

Naruto’s grin never faded. “Admit that you missed me.” 

“Never.” Despite the denial, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. 

They both lay in a comfortable silence, getting their breathing under control. As the adrenaline continued to wear off, Sasuke was able to realize how irrationally angry he’d been about the girl Naruto had arrived with. He felt like an idiot, and he could no longer deny what those feelings had been. Had he really gotten jealous over Naruto? How embarrassing. He could never tell that idiot what had been bothering him, or he’d never hear the end of it. Even just thinking about the realization, about why he hated the new girl on sight made him uncomfortable. Now, he knew he couldn't deny how important Naruto had become to him, or how much he valued their relationship. It should scare him, but for some reason, it didn’t. 

When their breathing started to even out, Naruto turned toward him again. The look on his face told Sasuke that he wanted to talk. He would want answers on why Sasuke had lashed out. 

“Sasuke–” 

They both flinched in surprise at the sound of slow, deliberate clapping. Naruto was first to sit up, with a pained groan, but Sasuke wasn’t far behind. He winced as the movement caused a ripple of pain to flash through his body. Naruto was gritting his teeth, glaring at the source of the sound with obvious distaste. 

Orochimaru kept clapping as he looked over both of them, a dangerous smirk on his face. “Very impressive,” he praised as the clapping ceased. “Both of you are getting better at controlling your respective powers.” 

The snake didn’t comment on the massive scale of destruction they’d both caused. It wasn’t the first time they’d gotten carried away, but it was definitely the worst. While Sasuke didn’t expect Orochimaru to have a particular attachment to the building, he was surprised to see that the snake didn’t appear the least bit bothered by the damage they’d done. 

Orochimaru seemed to follow Sasuke’s line of sight over to the still smoking wreckage.  His smile widened. “Ah, don’t worry about the damage. Your timing actually couldn’t have been better. You see,” he explained, “I’ve just heard from an inside source that Konoha has gotten wind of this particular hideout. They’re planning on sending a team here to investigate within the week, so we need to move on anyway.” He waved a hand flippantly. “Destroy the whole thing, for all I care.” 

Naruto looked conflicted about the information. Briefly, he wondered if Naruto’s resolve to stay at Sasuke’s side would falter with the chance of a reunion with Konoha. He hated how the idea made the same stab of anger and jealousy flare up, but he quickly realized his worries were unfounded. Naruto shook off the surprise, and nodded solemnly in understanding. He did seem a little sad about avoiding the shinobi being sent their way, but he’d made his choice. He’d chosen Sasuke. 

Sasuke hated the knowing, smug look that Orochimaru was giving him, as if he was coming to the same realization about Naruto’s loyalties. He schooled his expression and asked, “When are we leaving?” 

“Within the next 24 hours, it will be as if we were never here,” Orochimaru responded. 

That meant that Orochimaru would probably be transporting or destroying the contents of his lab. Probably his library as well. It seemed like anything that could provide a clue as to what they were doing here or where they were going would be dealt with. 

Naruto groaned, though whether it was from pain or annoyance, it wasn’t clear. “So we gotta pack, I guess.” He looked disgusted by the idea. “Ugh, I hate packing. I can never get everything to fit nicely. It was bad enough for that short trip, and now I gotta do it again so soon?” 

“I know,” Sasuke grumbled. “Whenever we went on missions, your bag was always overflowing, and you’d leave your shit everywhere. You still do.” 

Naruto flipped him off in response. “So, where’re we going, anyway?” he asked, even as he was still in the middle of his rude gesture. 

Orochimaru hummed in response. “Quite far, I’m afraid. I couldn’t possibly give my dear old teammate the opportunity to catch up to us.” 

It took Sasuke a moment to realize he was talking about the Godaime, and it seemed to take Naruto even longer. When he understood, Naruto snorted in response. “Nah, Granny Tsunade won’t catch us.” 

The glint was back in Orochimaru’s eyes. His smile widened. “Oh, you misunderstand me. I was referring to my other teammate. Word is, he’ll be accompanying the team that is coming to investigate us.” 

Naruto looked conflicted again, and Sasuke understood why. For as much as Naruto complained about Jiraiya, it was obvious that they’d bonded. Naruto was fond of him, and seemed to picture him as some sort of grandfatherly figure or role model. Avoiding nameless Konoha shinobi was one thing, but avoiding someone that Naruto probably missed was another. Sasuke wondered why Orochimaru was dangling that particular tidbit of information. Was he trying to get Naruto to run off? It didn’t make sense. He seemed genuinely interested in Naruto, or at least the Kyuubi, and didn’t bother to hide his manipulation tactics to keep the boy interested in what he had to say. Whether or not Naruto noticed, that was another story. Regardless, Naruto now knew too much. Orochimaru wouldn’t just let him walk away. So what was his angle? 

“I didn’t mean to make you upset, Naruto,” Orochimaru cooed. “I’m sure hearing about your godfather must cause some conflicting–” 

“Hold on, what did you say?” 

There it was. This happened every time he slipped in a tidbit of information that he knew Naruto would like; Orochimaru would play dumb, like he couldn’t believe that Naruto didn’t know, and that was the only reason he hadn’t brought it up before. The idiot always seemed to fall for it. It made him more trusting, too trusting, and more dependent on Orochimaru for information. It also fed into his mistrust, and his growing resentment toward the village that lied to him, and isolated him. 

Orochimaru tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand Naruto’s confusion. “Just that Jiraiya, your godfather, will be heading to this location. I understand if you would like to meet with him.” He tapped at his chin, like he was deep in thought. “I can’t promise he won’t try to take you back to the village, but I’m sure we could work out–” 

Naruto interrupted him again. “I don’t understand.” His expression had hardened when Orochimaru mentioned him potentially being taken back to the village. The snake didn’t bother hiding his pleased expression at Naruto’s clear distaste of the idea. “You’re saying, Pervy Sage is my…godfather?” 

“Of course,” the snake responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He was very close with your father, afterall. They remained close even after your father was no longer his student. No one was surprised when he was asked to be your godfather.” 

It looked like Naruto’s entire world had been shattered. “He…he knew my father?” A storm of emotions flashed through Naruto’s eyes. “And…and everyone knew that he was supposed to be my godfather?” 

“Oh? Did you not know?” Orochimaru asked, as if he didn’t already know exactly how this conversation was going to play out. 

Naruto shook his head. “No…no one ever said anything.” He shook his head again. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t he say anything? I didn’t even know he knew who my parents were! I don’t even know who they were!” Despite his exhaustion, a ripple of the Kyuubi’s energy seemed to flash through him. Sasuke shuddered at the feeling. Without his anger, without the curse mark activated, it was almost suffocating. 

Orochimaru looked at him with faux sympathy. “You poor boy. I had no idea, or else I would have told you sooner,” he lied smoothly. “I suppose my old sensei thought it was for your own good, keeping you in the dark.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Perhaps he thought he was sparing your feelings by not telling you that your own father sealed the demon fox in you.” 

Naruto went completely still as he processed the statement. “My–” He inhaled sharply. “But, Mizuki-sensei told me that it was the Yondaime–” He started shaking. “He was my–I’m–” 

“Sasuke,” Orochimaru said sharply, “if I were you, I would get some distance.” 

He didn’t have to ask why. Despite their recent battle, the Kyuubi’s horrible red chakra didn’t seem to be diminished. In fact, it felt stronger than ever. Sasuke managed to pull himself to his feet and stumble backwards a few steps, just as Naruto became completely surrounded by the Kyuubi’s chakra once again. His wounds seemed to be healing on the spot, until it looked like they hadn’t fought at all. 

The Kyuubi’s chakra intensified, and then Sasuke felt Orochimaru beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He transported both of them away, just in time for a guttural snarl to tear itself from Naruto’s throat. They landed well away from where Naruto was now crouched on all fours, screaming and snarling like a pained animal. The Kyuubi’s chakra was flaring, more than Sasuke had ever seen it. More than when they’d been tussling just now, more than during training, and even more than their fight at the Valley of the End. He wanted to be angry that Orochimaru didn’t think he could handle Naruto’s strength right now, but mostly he was just in shock. 

He looked up at his mentor and asked, “Was that true? What you told him about his father?” Sasuke didn’t really know much about the Yondaime, and there weren’t a lot of pictures of him around. He knew that the man was blond, but that wasn’t exactly enough to prove he was related to Naruto. 

“Despite what you may think of me,” Orochimaru answered, “I have only ever been truthful with you and Naruto.” 

For some reason, Sasuke believed him. He had been truthful, even if he was only truthful on his own terms. He seemed to find revealing surprise truths far more interesting than concocting lies. 

Naruto roared again, and Orochimaru’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh? Two tails? I wonder how many we will see today.” 

Sasuke didn’t quite know what that statement meant, until he focused on his friend’s hunched form. Usually, when he fought with the Kyuubi’s chakra, the cloak only had one tail. Now, as Orochimaru said, it had two. What exactly did that mean? He knew, of course, that the fox had nine, but he didn’t know what that meant for Naruto himself. 

Orochimaru glanced over his shoulder. “Karin, if you wouldn’t mind.” He gestured toward Sasuke. 

He hadn’t noticed when Orochimaru had moved them, but now he could see that Kabuto was standing off to the side, holding onto Karin’s shoulder. He nudged her forward when his master addressed them. She approached warily, but nodded. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but Karin didn’t react. She just held her arm up once she was close enough. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking for an explanation. 

Karin blushed and explained, “I can heal you. But you have to, um, bite me.” 

Sure enough, there were healed scars all over Karin’s arm that couldn’t be anything other than bite marks. He was a bit horrified, but he tried not to show it. Orochimaru was watching him closely, like this was a test. If it was a test, he refused to fail. Cautiously, he did as he was bid, grabbing the girl’s arm and biting down. She grunted in pain, and Sasuke simultaneously felt a little guilty, and a little ridiculous. However, within a few seconds, he felt energy coursing through him, and his pain subsided. He stepped back and looked at Karin curiously, properly looking at her this time. 

She was rubbing her arm gingerly, and still blushing, but she didn’t say anything else to him. Sasuke realized that she was in rough shape, the more he looked at her. She was thin, and pale, as if she hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time. Her hair was long and tangled, and her fingernails were dirty and uneven. Everything about her implied long term captivity. Based on her ability, and the scars, Sasuke could guess why she’d been kept locked up. The realization sickened him. 

Orochimaru looked pleased, and unbothered by the implications of Karin’s past. In fact, he probably knew all about it. That was why he’d taken Naruto to find her, wasn’t it? Obviously not for her own good, but he’d technically been truthful with Naruto, that they were rescuing someone.

“Oh, look at that. Three tails,” the snake mused, turning his attention back to where Naruto was now completely out of control. He was destroying everything in his path, and the corrosive chakra surrounding him was so foul it made Sasuke’s skin prickle even from far away. 

Karin shuddered. “I can’t believe Naruto has that inside him.” She shook her head in disbelief. “His chakra, his own chakra, is so different. It’s so light, and warm. This is–” she shuddered again, looking a little ill. 

Orochimaru chuckled darkly. “Yes, your cousin is quite unique, isn’t he?” 

That got Sasuke’s attention. “Cousin?” he asked, frowning. 

Karin nodded. “We don’t know exactly how we’re related, so it’s easiest to just say we’re cousins. You’re from a clan too, aren’t you? You probably get it better than Naruto did.” 

No, he didn’t get it. “That idiot is from a clan?” 

Karin looked at him like he was the idiot. “Obviously,” she scoffed. “Did you think the Uzumaki name was just for show? Considering the target still on our backs, no one in their right mind would claim our name unless they were really one of us.” 

Sasuke glanced back down at his friend, who was no longer showing any signs of higher thought or reason. “Did he know? About your–his clan?” 

Karin shook her head, scowling. “No. He had no idea, can you believe that? I can’t believe no one ever told him where his name came from.” 

“Where does it come from?” 

Now Karin was definitely looking at him like he was an idiot. “Are you serious? You don’t know either?” 

“Clearly not,” Sasuke growled, running out of patience. 

Karin’s expression became furious. “It’s your village’s fault that we got nearly wiped out, and they didn’t even tell you about us?” 

“They’re not my village,” he snarled in response, but his mind was still processing everything he’d learned. Maybe Naruto was more like him than he’d originally thought. Maybe he shouldn’t be finding comfort in the fact that his only friend had also come from a now nearly extinct clan, but no one ever accused Sasuke of being a good person. Obviously their situations were still different but…it meant something. 

“Oh my,” Orochimaru said gleefully, pulling everyone’s attention. “I’ve never seen a jinchuuriki undergo a four tail transformation before. Kabuto, are you taking notes?” He was silent for a few moments, observing. Then, he added, “Sasuke, if you have any interest in saving yours or Naruto’s belongings, I would highly recommend getting them now, before our little fox turns his attention to the rest of the hideout.” 

Naruto had undergone another major transformation. His current form was large, and more fox-like than before. The kyuubi’s chakra seemed to have completely taken over. It was dark and undulating almost like it had a life of its own. 

He was busy smashing boulders into dust, but he was quickly running out of targets. If his rage didn’t slow down soon, the hideout would be the only thing left for him to destroy. Sasuke almost declined the offer, because he didn’t really care about his belongings, but he decided to go. He might not care, but he knew Naruto was stupidly sentimental. He had his stupid frog plush that he clutched like a lifeline when he slept, as if he was a dumb kid and not a shinobi. 

Sasuke sighed heavily, but he ran off to his and Naruto’s shared room. Strangely, he noticed that the halls were pretty much deserted. Had Orochimaru known that Naruto would go on a rampage? Perhaps he’d planned it to destroy the evidence left behind. Either way, Sasuke knew he didn’t have much time before the entire hideout was nothing but rubble. If he got buried under here while retrieving Naruto’s belongings, he’d kill that idiot. It didn’t help that Naruto was incredibly disorganized, so all his belongings were randomly thrown about. Sasuke knew he couldn’t gather them all, but he didn’t care. He was not going to go digging under Naruto’s bed for a pair of underwear. If the idiot couldn’t be bothered to keep his stuff organized, it was his own fault if something got left behind. 

Just in time, Sasuke fled the hideout with both his and Naruto’s packs. It wasn’t until he was halfway out of the building that he remembered the letter Naruto kept in the drawer of his nightstand. He’d taken to adding to it when he was in a bad mood, and it seemed to be almost therapeutic. Oh well, there was no going back for it now. The walls were starting to crumble, and it was obvious that Naruto had moved on to smashing the building. Sasuke retreated back to where Orochimaru was still waiting, and watching. As his master had asked, Kabuto was taking notes, scribbling down observations frantically. Karin had shuffled off to the side, but no one was particularly paying her any attention at the moment. She seemed more comfortable that way. 

“Did you already send everyone else?” Sasuke asked. Their base of operations wasn’t exactly heavily populated, but it had been more than just them there. Some of them were there by choice, and disgustingly loyal to the snake, others were there by coercion. Some might even still be locked in cells underneath the main hideout. Sasuke grimaced at the thought, but there was nothing to be done. He wasn’t going to risk his life for some strangers that were probably tortured past the point of coherence anyway. If they died, it would probably be a mercy. 

“I called for an emergency evacuation as soon as you two started having your little spat,” Orochimaru explained. “I had a feeling we might end up here.” 

He all but confirmed that Sasuke’s theory had been right. The snake wanted their hideout destroyed. If he got to see Naruto’s Kyuubi powers in action to do it, that was just an added bonus for him. Sasuke forced down the bile at the realization that Naruto was functionally being forced to undergo his own painful transformation to destroy evidence of Orochimaru’s dirty work. He knew that the Kyuubi’s chakra was painful, and he had to imagine it only got worse as more of it was released. 

Naruto finished smashing the hideout, still roaring and snarling like a beast. He was scrambling around, growling like he was looking for another target. Sasuke was grateful that they seemed to be off his radar. Most likely, he was too far gone to think logically about looking for a new target. If he had an ounce of rational thought left, it would probably be too easy for him to look up and see them on the ledge that overlooked where the hideout once stood. Fortunately for them, Naruto did not seem to have any rationality left. Sasuke glanced at Orochimaru and wondered if the Sannin would be able to take on Naruto in this form. 

Sasuke wouldn’t delude himself into thinking Naruto’s current power was on the level of a normal human. He knew he himself wouldn’t be a match for his friend right now, considering how much he already had to rely on the curse mark for Naruto’s basic Kyuubi form. The thought nagged at him, but not like it did when he first realized Naruto was pulling ahead of him. Instead of anger, it made him feel invigorated. This was what he needed to strive for, if he wanted to be strong enough to beat Itachi. And if Naruto could learn to control this power? The two of them would be unstoppable together. 

With nothing left in the immediate vicinity, Naruto was now launching what appeared to be powerful orbs of compressed energy in random directions. Some of them were shot so far, Sasuke had no idea where they went or if they’d hit anything. Others exploded in front of them, creating massive craters on impact. One did hit the base of the ledge they were on, forcing them to make a hasty retreat to avoid the crumbling cliffside. Without thinking, Sasuke grabbed Karin, since he didn’t necessarily trust Orochimaru or Kabuto to save her. Sure, he might have been irritated by her at first, but that didn’t mean he would just leave her to die. Especially now that he knew she was Naruto’s cousin…which probably also explained why he’d been so excited when he’d brought her back. Sasuke resolutely avoided thinking about his own reaction. 

By the time they got to safety, Naruto’s snarling and rampaging had gone silent. The feeling of the Kyuubi’s chakra didn’t dissipate immediately, but it became obvious almost immediately that it was no longer present at full force. The oppressive aura was fading rapidly, and the air temperature was cooling. It took a while for the dust to clear, but once it did, Naruto was human again. 

“Hm,” Orochimaru commented idly, “looks like four tails is the limit, for now. I wonder if we can change that…” 

Sasuke was too busy staring at Naruto’s prone form to process that statement. He wasn’t moving, face down in the dirt in the middle of all the wreckage. His body looked human, at least, but at first Sasuke thought he must still have some of the Kyuubi’s influence over him, because his skin looked completely wrong. It was only when he got closer that he realized that Naruto’s skin looked wrong because it was completely burnt off. The Kyuubi’s chakra had maimed him.

Sasuke must not have been able to hide his horror, because Orochimaru was laughing at his expression as he walked over to examine Naruto’s limp form. “Don’t worry, he’ll recover. Jinchuuriki are incredibly resilient. Although,” his eyes flashed dangerously, “it does make me wonder how far their healing abilities extend.” The sentence was heavy in the air, until he shrugged and added, “Ah, that is a mystery for another day. Kabuto, look over our little fox so we can get moving.” 

After the declaration, Orochimaru took Karin and left. She spared a worried glance for her cousin before he whisked her away, but she wasn’t given a chance to do anything. Sasuke wondered why Orochimaru didn’t have Karin heal Naruto, like she’d healed him. Instead, he was stuck dealing with Kabuto. 

Kabuto looked at Naruto with obvious disgust, but he did as he was told. Still, Sasuke couldn’t help how his hand instinctively reached toward his weapon. He didn’t trust Kabuto any more than he trusted Orochimaru. In fact, he thought he might even trust him less. At least where Naruto was concerned. 

“Relax,” Kabuto told him, “I know Lord Orochimaru still has a use for him, which means I’m not going to do anything to him.” He rolled Naruto onto his back to get a better look at him.

Sasuke scoffed in response, never taking his eyes off the older boy as he worked. Kabuto’s glowing hands hovered over Naruto’s prone form, but Sasuke didn’t see much change in his appearance. He knew the injuries were bad, but was it possible that Kabuto couldn’t heal them?

Kabuto seemed to read his thoughts. “His body is already healing,” he explained. “It’s…remarkable.” He sounded a little awed, then shook his head to snap himself out of it. Still, he was looking at Naruto differently now, like one of his science projects. 

“So, fix him,” Sasuke growled. 

“It’s not that simple,” Kabuto replied. “Even I can’t heal wounds like this. I can prevent infection and speed up the process, but his body will need to do the rest.” He paused, then added, “Jinchuuriki are unique. Their physiology, their healing abilities, all of it. I’d be willing to bet that even the legendary Tsunade would struggle with this.”  

His hands pulled back. He checked over Naruto’s vitals again, and Sasuke was relieved to see that Naruto did seem to be breathing a little more evenly. He still looked awful, though. It was hard to believe anyone, even Naruto, could recover from this. 

Kabuto started to pick up Naruto’s limp body, prompting Sasuke to reach for a weapon again. This time, he did draw his kunai. “What the hell are you doing?” 

Looking unimpressed, Kabuto replied, “I’ve done all I can right now. I need the rest of my equipment and specific medicine to do more. Considering that your friend destroyed my lab here,” he gestured to the ruins of the hideout, “and that Konoha is about to be on our tail, the only option is to move him to the new location for treatment. Unless you’d rather leave him here,” Kabuto offered with a dark smile. 

He narrowed his eyes at the older boy, then shoved him out of the way. “I’ll carry him.” 

Kabuto just shrugged in response. “Suit yourself.” He dropped Naruto unceremoniously, gave Sasuke the coordinates of the new base, then flickered away. 

Sasuke took a few moments to stare down at his friend’s nearly lifeless features. Kabuto had at least flipped him on his back, but otherwise he didn’t look any better than he had a few minutes ago. Briefly, it did cross Sasuke’s mind to leave Naruto there. Not because he didn’t want him around (he could no longer lie about that), but because he didn’t know what state Naruto would be in when he woke up. If he woke up. Despite both Orochimaru and Kabuto’s assurances, Sasuke wasn’t convinced. Maybe it would be better for Konoha to take him back, for Tsunade to look him over. He was stubborn enough that if he really wanted to, he could probably track Sasuke down again after he recovered. 

Except, he didn’t want to send Naruto back anymore. Their brief time apart had made him realize how dependent he’d become on his friend, and he’d accepted it. It would still probably be best to sever their bond, but he knew it was too late. If he tried to sever it now, he didn’t know if he’d recover enough to face Itachi. He’d become attached. Reliant. Dependent. Whatever he should call it, and whether or not it was good for either of them, it was their reality. He still wouldn’t stop Naruto if he actually wanted to leave, but he was starting to doubt that Naruto ever would. The rage he had shown when he learned about more of the village’s lies was real. Naruto was loyal to a fault, even to the place that had treated him like garbage as a child. But did he have a limit? If he did, he must be approaching it. 

Sasuke made up his mind. Konoha couldn’t have Naruto. He maneuvered the unconscious body so he had Naruto on his back with his arms holding under the other boy’s legs, just like how Itachi carried him when he was injured as a child. The thought came to him unbidden, and he shoved it aside immediately. Naruto’s head lolled onto his shoulder, his face tucked into Sasuke’s neck. He could feel his friend’s hot breath on his skin, and it was oddly comforting, knowing he was still there, and still alive. 

Adjusting his grip, Sasuke took one last look at the destruction Naruto had wrought. He thought back to the first time he’d seen a glimpse of the Kyuubi’s power, at the Valley of the End. Things between them were so different now. And more than anything, he was grateful for the decision he made, to extend his hand to Naruto, because it led them here. 

Without sparing another thought for Konoha, Sasuke left the ruined base behind, Naruto balanced comfortably on his back.