Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ For Us ❯ Ask and You Shall Receive ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Title: For Us
Author:
Ren Apple
Pairing: NaruSasu
Warning:
Yaoi. Mature Themes. Weirdness.
Rating:
PG-13
Word Length:
3078 words
 
Summary: Do you know me? Do you remember me? You will. I won't let you forget.
 
Author's Note: Alright, I especially like this chapter now. However, I have two exams next week and work so I will be studying quite a bit and might not have time to go back over chapter three just yet. However, I will say reviews and constructive criticisms are always appreciated and might just speed up the process. Also, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and followed this story before 2009, supporting its completion and inspiring me to keep on writing.
 
 
 
 
Hyuuga Neji bowed politely before coming to stand erect in front of the large mahogany desk dominating the room. “Hyuuga.”
 
“Hokage-sama.”
 
“Strange happenings occurring around the Leaf, don't you think?”
 
“I have heard rumors that are unsubstantiated.”
 
“Yes, and that is why you are here of course.” Tsunade said with a slight smirk curling around her lips. “I have granted the fugitive kunoichi from Sound, Uemura Sayuri, temporary sanctuary within the Fire Country borders without the permission of the Fire Lord.” Tsunade paused, ignoring the tinge of worry seeming to permeate Shizune's stature, “As we have confirmed the DNA of the bounty as Yakushi Kabuto, however, before an official request is sent to the capital I need an operative sent to the Land of Sound to corroborate our intelligence about Uemura Sayuri, although assume she uses an alias.”
 
Neji understood the implied order. She wanted him to go to Sound and uncover the truth about Uemura Sayuri. A woman with the ability to kill an S-Rank missing-nin would have a history within the five great shinobi nations somewhere. Tsunade chuckled lightly as a glimmer of realization seemed to cross his face before her expression turned somber. “Uemura came to the village less than six hours ago, proceeded to ask for refuge against her enemies, and is an unknown high level threat. Orochimaru has taken her asylum as a sign of war, and as of one hour ago we have lost all contact with our current spies within Sound. It seems Orochimaru is taking no prisoners.”
 
Adrenaline was powerfully thrumming through Neji's veins, though his face and body remained impassive and at attention.
 
Shizune quickly handed him a scroll containing the pertinent information regarding his mission as Tsunade continued. “ANBU Hawk, this will be an S-Rank mission outside of your existing orders. Do you accept?”
 
It was understood he might not return. However, Neji nodded without the slightest hint of hesitation. A slight sigh escaped his lips as he processed his directives. “How soon do I deploy?”
 
“Immediately.”
 
Neji bowed politely, “By your leave, Hokage-sama?”
 
Tsunade nodded somberly, “Dismissed.” She closed her eyes minutely before staring at his fingers curling in a seal. “Oh, and Hyuuga? Do try to come back alive.”
 
The corners of his lips twitched in response as wisp of smoke curled around his feet and he body flickered out of the room.
 
 
 
 
ANBU Hawk was not completely surprised when a summons from the Hokage arrived shortly after rumors of a bloody kunoichi roaring through streets with the head of missing-nin began to surface around the village. He was a specialist in the art of espionage and as Dog-san would say “looking underneath the underneath.” He checked his gray arm guards for any looseness before pulling his black cloak over his shoulders. His hawk ANBU mask tucked into his satchel on his back. If the Hokage had granted this strange enemy kunoichi sanctuary, Hyuuga Neji would be the one to discover her secrets.
 
Silently, he moved through the empty Hyuuga compound sticking to the shadows. It was frowned upon to leave the manor with a technique or to use techniques within the clan compound walls. His muscles tightened in response to the light steps moving towards him. He had hoped to depart without notice, however, as the clean scent of herbs continued to move towards him more quickly he paused, lowering his hood around his neck. He did not turn around and his Byakugan was inactive. “Hinata-sama.”
 
“Neji-kun.” Hinata grasped her hands together tightly, aware every time he left it might be the very last time she saw him. After the chuunin exam, they had reached a wary understanding. That had grown into a strong familial bond of love and trust and as a fellow shinobi, she knew better than to ask about his mission. However, as a woman she could not bear to hear nothing and imagine a future without him. “When will you be back?”
 
His lips creased into a tight frown. He would prefer not to lie so he remained silent. He could not respond to a question he did not know the answer to.
 
“I see.” She murmured, “I will be here when you return, Neji-kun.”
 
Neji braced himself as he felt the air shift and small, wiry arms wrapping around his waist before quickly retreating. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in her lingering scent. “Hinata-sama.”
 
 
 
 
Naruto and Sayuri stood outside of a large house one hundred meters left of the Uchiha compound. A flick of her wrist opened the silk fan still in her hand, giving her a little time to survey the outside surroundings discreetly. She calculated quickly it would take less than two minutes to change locations to the more impenetrable Uchiha compound by channeling chakra onto the soles of her feet, possibly three if unforeseen circumstances occurred. Uniform brown buildings surrounded her built by some sort of brown clay, blending in with the dirt roads beneath her feet. She gathered her chakra in her fingers carefully. Too large of a pulse might set off unseen traps, but if she used too little she would be unaware of the variety already prepared. “Chakra Pulse!” She whispered, slamming her palm into the ground.
 
“What the hell are you doing?” Naruto shouted, aware she had been gathering chakra but unsure of her motive. He flickered behind her kunai in hand.
 
Sayuri dug her fingertips into the soil and closed her eyes, smirking. “Getting an underground visual of my prison, without your quite biased and uninformative commentary.”
 
Naruto shoved his kunai back into the holster on his thigh snarling, his good mood evaporated. “You are not a prisoner but do not think you can just go around flinging techniques around! You are still a Sound kunoichi and Sound is still our enemy.”
 
Sayuri stood up from her crouching position. “Ah, I am glad you are not as foolish as your appearance might suggest.” She stated, mentally categorizing the traps that laid hiding beneath her feet. “Do you have blueprints of our immediate site, including the buildings around the perimeter or will I have to go exploring?”
 
Naruto was not easily upset, but her affiliation, her attitude, and something about her voice just made the muscles between his shoulder blades twitch. “I do.” He said, pointedly looking towards the door of building 138.
 
Sayuri gracefully sauntered up the stairs, wrapping her fingers against the tarnished brass knob. “Oh, do share.”
 
Naruto watched her through narrowed blue eyes, following her sedately through the open door and aware of two ANBU silently watching his broad shoulders. “Uemura-san, there are three bedrooms, two upstairs, one downstairs; I would appreciate if we could both stay on the bottom floor, ne?”
 
“Of course, Uzumaki-san.” She said sweetly, walking silently across the wooden floor panels in her lacquered wooden sandals.
 
Naruto grimaced, slightly impressed as he took a seat on one of the wooden chairs at the table across from the door. He pulled out his mission scroll, reading with half his attention as he unashamedly observed the Uemura walk into the bedroom. He braced his forearms against the table and rubbed his hands through his haphazard blond locks, silently wishing for the anonymity of his ANBU mask. It was obvious Tsunade-baa-chan was trying to make a statement with SS-rank Uzumaki Naruto, heir apparent to the Hokage, protecting, guarding, and imprisoning the Sound kunoichi.
 
 
 
 
Orochimaru sat elegantly draped across a large ornate chair, his white skin glowing unnaturally in the dull cavern light. He waved his hand rousingly at the three bowed figures at his feet. “Karin, Ishiko, Tekkan, rise,” he said, his voice lingering on every syllable as if he was savoring the sound. “A particularly valuable experiment has escaped the village, taking with it the head of our very obsequious head researcher Kabuto. I am quite displeased with the guards for letting it escape, but no matter,” he said with a flippantly light tone, “they have been disposed of.”
 
Gold, slitted eyes rested on the red-headed female of the group lingering briefly on her short and unkempt hair on one side, and long and combed hair on the other. He flicked his tongue into the air, relishing the tang of terror and lust that seemed to seep into the air. Her red eyes hidden behind thick black frames were pointedly focused on his muscled chest exposed between the folds of his haori. “Karin,” he hissed, gathering her concentration from his chest to warily to meet his livid gaze. “I expect it to be returned unharmed.”
 
Karin's fingertips briefly brushed across the skin between her black boots and tight shorts, steadying her frayed nerves. “Yes, Orochimaru-sama,” she hesitated and gulped down a lungful of cold air, “will Uchiha-sama-?”
 
The muscles on Orochimaru's face tightened until his face was immovable, only the flash of light dancing across his irises giving way to his emotion. “Sasuke-kun will not be joining you.” He said placidly, a minute too sharp.
 
Karin nodded shakily, her eyes on the floor.
 
Orochimaru dismissed Karin from his observation and lingered on the dark blonde female, wrapped from neck to toe in white bandages leaving only her pale, scarred face uncovered. He noted the way her dressed hands shook and clenched tightly in her purple sash. “Ishiko, do remember to allow Kiwa out to play.”
 
Rocks and earth shuddered beneath her feet as her dark brown eyes flashed a putrid green and hardened. A large grin overtook her normally meek features, showing sharp pointed teeth. “We will not be restrained, Orochimaru-sama! Kiwa/Ishiko punched a bandaged fist into the air. “We will not fail your will! Hooza!”
 
Orochimaru nodded coolly, dismissing the heavily armed Tekkan with a brief glance, a malevolent smile gracing his lips. “No, you shall not.”
 
 
 
 
“Uemura-san?” Naruto called from the table, large blueprints laid out beneath his splayed palms as he tried to find a heavy paper weight within view. A head of sleek black hair glanced around the partially open bedroom door. “A little help would be appreciated.”
 
A short, throaty laugh escaped from her before she covered her smiling lips with her hand. She walked over to the table, pulling out an exact replica of her usual complexly decorated chrysanthemum iron fan to rest beside each of his hands.
 
He raised both blond eyebrows in jest, “Do you have anything else up your sleeves, Uemura-san?” He frowned, “That's kind of formal honorific, Uemura-san. Would you mind if I call you Sayuri-chan since we aren't sure exactly how long this guard duty will last?”
 
Sayuri frowned watching the slight quirking of his lips as they tried to form a smile. She sighed, “That would be fine, Naruto-san.”
 
A large smile overtook his handsome features and her pulse rate jumped.
 
“Good, Sayuri-chan, I think we got off on the wrong foot here. I know you are a skilled kunoichi. I mean look at all the excitement you have caused. I just forgot you would want to, you know, erm- help.” He said, restraining a light chuckle.
 
Sayuri's lips tightened slightly. “I am definitely not helpless if that is what you are trying to imply.”
 
Naruto raised his hands in front of his body in a gesture of peace. “No, not at all.” He said, glad they were making progress towards equanimity. “I just was apologizing.”
 
Sayuri smirked, “Oh, was that an apology?”
 
“Maybe,” Naruto responded in kind, glancing down at the drawings of the small district in which they were housed. “Now, here we are,” he said, pointing at building 138. “All around us,” he circled their building with his calloused finger, “are exactly identical buildings of the same manufacture. We will be switching buildings intermittently every few days as to not get too comfortable. This area has been abandoned for some time, and if we are attacked, the area can suffer some high collateral damage so don't be afraid to protect yourself if we get separated.” He ignored the way her face indicated whether or not the area was abandoned, she would not be troubled by hurting civilians. “Any questions?”
 
“With the One Man Army on my side I am sure to be out of harm's way.”
 
Naruto smirked, “You will not be troubled by my clones constantly patrolling the area, then?”
 
“No, I am well aware of your proficiency with the Shadow Clone Technique. Your reputation precedes you.” Sayuri stated coolly, memorizing the layout of the blueprints. “Can you tell me more about entrapments surrounding the area?”
 
“Let's just say this isn't called my den for just any reason.”
 
Sayuri heaved a silent sigh, “So you won't be telling me then?”
 
“You are going to have to trust in my protection.”
 
“Trust is not given lightly, Naruto-san.”
 
“I know, but I promise to protect you.” A glint shimmered across his clear, blue eyes. “Believe it.”
 
Sayuri swallowed her protestations at the determination he embodied as he leaned towards her fist clenched down on the table. “I believe you.”
 
“Good, Sayuri-chan, I need to ask you some questions. The mission briefing was, how shall I say this, surprisingly brief.” Naruto said a tad exasperated.
 
Sayuri gave another of her sensual, throaty laughs that Naruto was coming to enjoy. “Who would have ever have guessed.”
 
“Do you mind if I clear up some of the misunderstandings? For me to best protect you, it would help to have all the information on our common enemies you have available, ne?”
 
She smirked wickedly. “I am not adverse to you asking me questions, but that does not mean you will receive answers.”
 
He sighed. She sounded just like a certain bastard. Naruto sat down lightly in his chair, crossing his ankle above his knee. “Alright, do you know how many Sound ninja might be coming our way? It isn't exactly likely they would send a whole army.”
 
Sayuri nodded in agreement, “That is true, however, do not be mislead by the drive to seek retribution from the Otokage for killing Kabuto. He lives by the axiom an eye for your life. It is likely he will send a team of exactly three to four very skilled shinobi, to ambush me if I am in hiding. It is probable he has already received news about my defection to the Leaf, so in the possibility the first wave fails a second wave of no more than one or two A-Rank of above hunter-nin will be sent. I am not expected to survive the week.”
 
Naruto nodded still processing the information, slightly surprised Tsunade-baa-chan had not previously told him of this in his mission briefing. “When they fail?”
 
Sayuri smirked, “When they fail, Orochimaru may declare open war on the Leaf for providing me asylum since he has previously announced his alliance with the lands of Rock and Lightning. Though none of this is new intelligence, I have already informed your Hokage of the circumstances.”
 
“Whoo, heavy stuff. So, how old are you? Where are you from?” Naruto asked, trying to lighten the mood.”
 
“I am nineteen years old and I hail from the land of Grass, Uemura is actually my home village. Yourself?”
 
Naruto laughed, “Well, I was born and raised in good ole' Leaf and I am nineteen years old.”
 
“SS-Rank, heir apparent to the Hokage, toad summoner, apprentice to the legendary Sannin Jiraiya, and jailer of the Nine-tailed Fox, and all at nineteen I might add, such an impressive resume. Though, I wonder if the gossip is true, maybe you could shed some light on the rumors I heard in passing about the creature's death?” Sayuri asked rhetorically and unabashed, enjoying the way his face had frozen in shock.
 
His eyes hardened and his voice was gruff as forced out the next questions, “How do you know all that? Are you a spy?”
 
“Firstly, this is information one can pick up anywhere if they keep their eyes and ears open. And as any good kunoichi, I am a spy… for myself, of course.”
 
Naruto leaned back in his chair and observed her calculatingly, “Well, I have to keep some cards close to my chest. Now, how about the honest truth about why you turned traitor and killed Kabuto?”
 
She looked him straight in the eye, black eyes glittering.
 
“How about how did a Grass kunoichi end up in Sound? Why did you choose to come to the Leaf? And what do you know about Uchiha Sasuke!” Naruto shouted, placing both hands flat against the table as if to propel himself towards her. “Come on, tell me! What do you know?”
 
Sayuri delicately grabbed each of her iron fans from large scroll of blueprints, allowing his own palms to weigh it down like before. She tucked them into her cream and gold pleated obi, flattening her kimono over her legs and standing elegantly. “I apologize if my questions have upset you. I am feeling quite tired from my journey, so I do believe I will take a small nap.”
 
Naruto stood abruptly his sandals thudding across of the floor as he rushed after her. He pulled the silk of her sleeve tightly, digging his large fingers painfully into the ulna and radius bones in her arm, grinding them together. A little more pressure and something would break. “You lie! What do you know?”
 
Sayuri was whipped bodily around as not to break her arm. She stared mutinously up at his hard face. “Release me this instant.” She snarled.
 
“You know something!” He yelled, eyes drawn keenly to her blood red lips. “I won't let go until you tell me!”
 
“Let me go, or I will not be held accountable for my actions.”
 
“No.” He said stonily, drawing concentration from her lips into her angry dark eyes.
 
Sayuri screamed silently and lunged towards him, digging her teeth painfully into his neck at the carotid artery. Blood splashed against her face and neck, staining the cream undergarment beneath her kimono.
 
A loud snap resounded throughout the room as her ulna bone broke in two.
 
Naruto grunted, releasing her arm and clutched at his bleeding neck. His face began to pale beneath his dark tan.
 
Sayuri cradled her arm to her breast, chest heaving frantically as she struggled to breathe in and out normally. She glared at him through dark, messy bangs.
 
Covered in his blood, breasts heaving, and her cheeks flushed with color from her anger, Naruto thought she looked so damn fuckable. His eyes flashed red briefly.
 
“He is dead to you, and that is all you need to know.” Sayuri said, before closing the door in Naruto's face.
 
 
 
Post Script Author's Note: Still looking for a beta if anyone is offering, and if you wanted to know…
 
Uemura - can mean commonly `upper village' or less commonly `planting village'
Sayuri - small lily
Ishiko - child of stone
Kiwa - borderline